- Tesco hosts its biggest ever Neighbourhood Food Collection, December 1-3, 2016
CHESHUNT, England, 2016-Dec-02 — /EPR Retail News/ — Tesco is encouraging people across the UK to donate generously during its biggest ever Neighbourhood Food Collection, which takes place in all Tesco stores from Thursday 1 December until Saturday 3 December.
The Neighbourhood Food Collection, run by Tesco with foodbank charity, The Trussell Trust and food redistribution charity, FareShare, is aiming to provide at least five million meals to help feed people in need this winter.
Both The Trussell Trust and FareShare see an increase in the need for their support during the winter, with the extra cost of heating that comes with the cold weather adding another pressure for families struggling to make ends meet.
For other vulnerable people, it’s isolation or the need for greater support services, which has led to an 26% increase in the number of charities signing up to FareShare for food deliveries in the last year.
Since the Neighbourhood Food Collection launched in 2012, the equivalent of more than 38 million meals have been donated to people in need by generous Tesco customers. Tesco also tops up customer donations by 20%, the only retailer to top up customer donations in this way – helping the charities grow and provide additional support to people in need.
Matt Davies, UK and ROI CEO at Tesco said:
“It’s so great to witness the generosity of our customers each time we hold a Neighbourhood Food Collection. That’s especially true at Christmas, when the Trussell Trust and FareShare see an increase in demand for the support they provide people who are struggling to make ends meet.
“Together with the 20% top-up provided by Tesco, we’re hoping this collection will go on to help more people in need than ever before.”
The Neighbourhood Food Collection is part of Tesco’s ongoing effort to encourage customers to donate long-life food to charity. Their two charity partners – The Trussell Trust and FareShare – support a wide range of people across the UK who find themselves in desperate need of support.
There are many reasons why people find themselves in this situation, from receiving an unexpected bill when on a low income to being alone and struggling to fight an addiction.
David McAuley CEO at The Trussell Trust said:
“For families already managing tight budgets, winter is often the hardest time of year. Every December Trussell Trust foodbanks meet people who have been hit by something unavoidable, like redundancy or illness, and are facing Christmas unable to afford food. New foodbank statistics out tomorrow suggest foodbank use could double in the lead up to Christmas. We’re very grateful for the donations of Tesco shoppers, colleagues and volunteers – your generosity will help stop hunger this Christmas.”
Lindsay Boswell, CEO of FareShare, said:
“The Neighbourhood Food Collection really helps us in our work to provide good food to thousands of amazing frontline organisations in the UK, which support people who are struggling to feed themselves. These organisations work tirelessly to provide life-changing support to people in need. Every single item of food donated will make a difference, so thank you to everyone involved in the Neighbourhood Food Collection.”
In addition to the Neighbourhood Food Collection, Tesco has over 600 permanent collection points across the UK where customers can donate food each week.
Notes to the Editor
- Tesco has been running Neighbourhood Food Collections since 2012 and has collected 38 million meals so far.
- Some Tesco stores collect for their local Trussell Trust foodbank, which will provide a minimum of 3 days’ emergency food supplies to people that have been identified as being in crisis by frontline agencies such as Citizen’s Advice, children’s centres or housing associations. Other stores collect for their regional FareShare depot, where the food is redistributed to community groups and local charities.
- This financial top up is used by The Trussell Trust and FareShare to provide additional services such as counselling and housing advice, volunteering and training opportunities as well as helping to cover running costs in order to provide more food to hungry people.
About The Trussell Trust
Every day people in the UK go hungry for reasons ranging from redundancy or bereavement to welfare problems or receiving an unexpected bill on a low income. The Trussell Trust’s network of over 420 foodbanks provides three days’ emergency food and support to people in crisis across the UK.
- From April 2015 to April 2016, Trussell Trust foodbanks provided 1,109,309 three day emergency food supplies to people in crisis. Of those helped, 415,866 went to children.
- Everyone who comes to a Trussell Trust foodbank is referred by a frontline professional like a Citizens Advice worker, health visitor or children’s centre.
- Trussell Trust foodbanks do much more than food: they provide a listening ear and help resolve the underlying cause of the crisis either through signposting onto relevant local charities or providing on-site immediate support, such as holiday clubs or budgeting and cookery courses.
- Find out more at trusselltrust.org.uk.
About FareShare
FareShare is a UK-wide charity that tackles food waste and food poverty by redistributing in date, good food from the food & drink industry, that would otherwise go to waste, to frontline charities and community groups that support vulnerable people, including homeless shelters, children’s breakfast clubs, and domestic violence refuges. These organisations transform the food into nutritious meals, which they provide alongside life-changing support.
In 2015/16, FareShare redistributed 10,795 tonnes of food to 4,652 charities and community groups, enough to provide 21.9 million meals for people in need with an estimated value to the charity sector of £21.7 million. FareShare helped to feed 499,140 people every week. To find out more, please visit www.fareshare.org.uk.
We are a team of 480,000 in 11 markets dedicated to serving shoppers a little better every day.
For more information please contact the Tesco Press Office on 01707 918 701
Source: Tesco
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