Thousands of meals... thanks to shoppers
THOUSANDS of meals have been donated to food banks and groups feeding people in the local community thanks to the generosity of Tesco in Lancashire shoppers, figures released today reveal.
Shoppers in Lancashire donated 86,284 meals as part of the overall total of 2.5 million meals donated to charities the Trussell Trust and FareShare by shoppers during last month’s Tesco Food Collection, with Tesco topping up the value of all the donations by an additional 20%.
The donations to food banks in the Trussell Trust’s network are being used to provide food parcels for people in crisis, while donations to FareShare go to charities and community groups such as homeless shelters and older people’s lunch clubs who also receive surplus food from Tesco stores.
At one of the groups in the region, manager Karen Burgon said the donations were essential to their work.
“This year we received almost three tonnes of food through the Tesco collection which is phenomenal,” she said.
“These generous donations make it possible for us to get through the winter period which is often an incredibly difficult time for many people coming to the food bank.
“It is humbling to see how much people are willing to give, and the difference this can make when someone is in crisis.
“We can only continue to provide crucial support with the community’s help - thank you so much.”
The donations from the three-day collection are in addition to items donated by customers throughout the year at a network of more than 500 permanent collection points at Tesco stores.
In the year to October more than 7 million meals were donated to food banks in the Trussell Trust’s network at those in-store collection points.
Tesco Director Christine Heffernan thanked customers for their donations.
“On my visits to stores during the Collection I was taken aback by the generosity of our customers,” she said.
“I would like to thank all those who donated and we will be doing our bit by topping up all the donations by 20%.”
The Trussell
Trust’s
Chief Executive Emma Revie also thanked customers. “Food banks up and down the country could not do what they do without the incredible support of the public and their loyal volunteers who work tirelessly to help people when they need support the most,” she said.
”An emergency food parcel, listening ear and compassionate, practical advice at the food bank can make a real difference when someone is facing a crisis.
“Any donations help make that difference.”
Lindsay Boswell, chief executive at FareShare, added: “We are hugely grateful to every single person who volunteered and donated items during this year’s Tesco Food Collection - it was wonderful to see so many passionate people lending a hand to support us.
“All items donated by Tesco customers will be redistributed by FareShare to charities and community organisations and will help to ensure more people get a hot, nutritious meal.”
The Tesco Food Collection ran in all Tesco stores in the UK from November 21 to 23.