Tesco is making it easier than ever for shoppers in Lancashire to give a helping hand to food banks and charities feeding people in their local community.
The Tesco Food Collection is taking place in every large Tesco store across the UK from Thursday, June 30 until Saturday, July 2, and shoppers are being urged to donate long-life food to support local food banks in the Trussell Trust’s network and thousands of frontline charities supplied by FareShare. Tesco will top up all food donations made during the collection with an extra 20% cash donation to support the two charities.
To make it even easier for customers to donate, shoppers can now round up their bill at the checkout to make a small donation to both the charities, and pre-filled donation bags with some of the items that are most-needed will be available in selected stores.
From this week it is also easier than ever for customers who shop in Express stores to support the charities, with new permanent donation points being placed in every Tesco Express store in the UK for the first time, meaning shoppers will now be able to donate at Express stores year-round. Shoppers can also donate their Tesco Clubcard points online to either of the charities.
Tesco Head of Community Claire de Silva said, “This collection marks ten years of us working with the Trussell Trust and FareShare. During that decade our customers have been amazingly generous, donating more than 100 million meals during our food collections and at permanent collection points in Tesco stores, but we wanted to make it even easier for customers in Lancashire to donate this summer as we know that every can donated really does help.”
Donations are more important than ever as the charities have reported increasing need for food. Tom Carysforth, General Manager at Recycling Lives Social Enterprises, FareShare Lancashire and Cumbria, said: “Our charities are telling us that the need for food has vastly increased as a result of the cost-of-living crisis, and over the last year we’ve continued to deliver four meals every second to people facing food insecurity across the UK.
“That’s why we would be immensely grateful to anyone who is able to donate a bag of pasta or tin of vegetables over the Tesco Food Collection weekend – your generous donations will help us continue providing vital support to families struggling to cope this summer.”
Linda Heaton, Ormskirk Foodbank Coordinator and Patrick Newland, Project Manager at Skelmersdale and District Foodbank said:
“Every year, we are amazed by the generosity of Tesco customers in West Lancashire who donate to the annual Food Collection. We know that many families on the very lowest incomes have been forced to the doors of food banks to get by, as the nation faces a rapid rise in the cost of living and continues to recover from the devastating effects of the pandemic. So, once again, we are urging shoppers to give generously and make a difference to people who need our support over the coming weeks and months.
“No one in West Lancashire should be unable to afford the essentials. However, while we work to tackle the reasons why people don’t have enough money for the essentials, any donations of our most-needed items will be invaluable. A single tin of vegetables or long-life milk may not seem like it will make a huge difference, but if enough people make a small donation from their Tesco shop, then together these items can be a lifeline for local people who are left with no option but to use a food bank to support their family.”
