Tesco launch food bank campaign
By Connor Steel
SHOPPERS across Gosport and Fareham are being urged to help the vulnerable this upcoming weekend; with the supermarket brand Tesco today (June 28) announcing a limited time scheme aimed at giving much-needed support to food banks and charities currently feeding people in need within their local communities.
The Tesco Food Collection will be taking place in every large Tesco store across the country from June 30 (Thursday) to July 2 (Saturday); including the stores in Alver Village (Gosport) and Fareham Town Centre (opposite police station). Other participants include branches located in Portsmouth and Port Solent areas.
Any food donations can be placed in specific points which will be located near the checkouts and exits of each Express stores; which will become permanent features over the next few weeks. Once collected donations will be split equally between two individual food bank charities Trussell Trust and FareShare.
Long life food is being sought in the call for donations; which can include items such as UHT milk, grains, spices, dried pasta, and canned vegetables / fruit alongside beans. These can all be purchased in the store when shopping or even be brought in provided bags from home to be placed inside the individual points.
Tesco have furthermore pledged their support to the upcoming collection by topping up donations made with an extra 20% cash donation to support the two charities. Customers can also round up their bills at the store checkouts by making small financial donations to the charities and offer their Tesco Clubcard points online.
A selection of pre-filled bags of needed goods will furthermore be available to purchase if customers are unsure on what they should donate. These are however only being sold at a limited number of stores across the country, but no information has yet been published on the exact locations in the UK at the time of writing.
Lindsay Boswell, Chief Executive Officer at FareShare, said in a short statement: “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”
The charity CEO continued to say: “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.”
Danni Malone, the Director of Network Programmes and Innovation at the Trussell Trust, added her own thoughts when asked about the scheme that is now held annually: “Every year, we are amazed by the generosity of Tesco customers who donate to the 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 calling on shoppers to give generously and make a difference to people who need our support over the coming weeks and months.”
Readers can read more information on FareShare and the Trussell Trust by clicking the hyperlinks, whilst also finding details on the Tesco Scheme via their website here. A store finder is also available here.
PICTURED BY TESCO: Three day campaign for food donations launched this weekend starting on June 30.
