THOUSANDS of meals have been provided for people in need this Christmas thanks to customer donations at Tesco stores in Barnsley.
Generous customers in Barnsley donated 4,627 meals for food charities FareShare and The Trussell Trust during the Tesco Food Collection, which ran in stores from November 29 to December 1.
Customers were asked to donate long-life items to help people in need as part of their usual shop. Tesco says that people were more generous than ever with an increase on the previous year’s collection.
The two charities, FareShare and The Trussell Trust, see an increase in the need for donations at this time of year. The food donated to foodbanks in The Trussell Trust’s network is given in emergency food parcels to people referred because they cannot afford to feed themselves and their families.
Food donated to FareShare is distributed to charities and community groups who use it to provide meals for vulnerable groups such as isolated older people and those in homeless shelters.
Tesco is topping up the value of the customer donations by 20 per cent, providing the two charities with funding to run the foodbanks and distribute the food to those in need.
