Charities call for food collection volunteers

Volunteers are being sought to help two leading charities support children and families this summer.

FareShare and the Trussell Trust will be collecting long-life food in Tesco stores between Thursday, July 15, until Saturday, July 17, to support children and families throughout the summer holidays.

Food donated by the supermarket giant’s customers will go to support food banks in the Trussell Trust’s network and to local charities supplied by FareShare, including holiday clubs providing healthy meals and activities to youngsters outside of term-time.

Volunteers are needed to encourage shoppers to leave their donations at store collection points and to spread awareness of the collection through social media.

The appeal for volunteers comes ahead of Volunteers Week which celebrates the work of volunteers in the UK.

Jake Hanmore, chief executive at FareShare North East, said: “More people than ever are struggling to put food on the table and will do for months if not years to come as the economy recovers.

“We would be incredibly grateful to anyone who is able to volunteer just two hours of their time this year to encourage more shoppers to donate much needed long-life food to those who need it most.”

Emma Revie, chief executive of the Trussell Trust, said: “We would be so grateful if people encourage friends and family to donate. Together we can make a difference and work towards building a hunger free future.”

To find out more about volunteering during the Tesco Food Collection and to sign up visit: https://fareshare. org.uk/foodcollection/