Tesco shoppers in Northampton thanked for helping to donate over a million meals to those struggling during the pandemic

Generous Tesco shoppers across the UK have been thanked after donating over 1.3 million meals to two UK charities combatting hunger in the UK, with customers in Northampton contributing a total of 3,790 meals.

The annual Tesco food collection at the end of November saw shoppers donate enough packets, tins and boxes of food to provide 800,000 meals to help the charities - Trussell Trust and Fareshare - carry out their vital work.

An additional food collection held by the supermarket in summer meant that shoppers donated more than 1.3 million meals through Tesco food collections altogether this year. Tesco tops up all customer donations by 20 per cent.

Tesco’s head of community, Claire De Silva, said: “With most of the UK in lockdown, holding the collection was always going to be a challenge but, once again, we have been amazed by the generosity of our customers and the fact that we have now collected more than a million meals is amazing.

“We know that every single can, jar or packet donated is helping someone who needs support this winter. We are immensely proud of the vital support our customers and colleagues have been able to give to the two charities in these very challenging times.”

Tesco donated £15 million of food between the two charities during the first lockdown and announced a further £4 million of food donations for Fareshare in recent months. The supermarket donates two million meals of surplus food per month through the charity.

Director at FareShare Midlands, Simone Connolly, said: “This year has been so difficult for so many people and FareShare has seen demand for our food skyrocket.

“We continue to provide over two million meals per week to vulnerable communities across the UK and 90% of the organisations we work with expect demand to remain the same as at peak crisis levels, or even increase through the winter.

“We are immensely grateful to every single person that donated food during this year’s Tesco Food Collection.”

This year’s food collection was held on November 19-21 amid the second lockdown in England when both charities were facing an exceptional need for supplies.

Food banks in the Trussell Trust’s network are expected to provide a food parcel every nine seconds this winter whilst FareShare is supplying more than double the food it did before the pandemic to 11,000 frontline charities and community groups feeding people across the UK.

Trussell Trust CEO, Emma Revie, said: “Throughout 2020, communities across the UK have stepped in to provide vital support to people left without enough money for the basics. We have been truly humbled to see how much people are willing to give to food banks in our network as they face their busiest winter ever.

“It’s not right that any of us are forced to a charity for food but thanks to the incredible compassion and generosity of Tesco customers during the Tesco Food Collection, food banks in our network are able to continue to provide the lifeline of emergency support for local people in crisis this winter, while we work in the long term to build a hunger free future.”

Shoppers who were unable to donate in store during the Tesco Food Collection can still show their support for the two charities by donating Tesco Clubcard vouchers or money.