A call has gone out for volunteers across Bath to join in and help locally with the upcoming nationwide Tesco Food Collection, for people in need this Christmas.
Leading food charities FareShare and The Trussell Trust are looking for members of the public to help at donation points at Tesco stores from Thursday 29th November to Saturday 1st December, as part of the Tesco Food Collection.
The annual collection will see Tesco customers encouraged to donate long-life food to help foodbanks and community groups support people in need this Christmas.
Tesco will top up customer donations by 20% to further support the two charities in their work.
Last year 3.34 million meals were collected in the Tesco Food Collection, and since the launch in 2012, more than 49 million meals have been donated to the two charities by generous Tesco customers.
To make this year’s collection a success, volunteers are needed to hand out shopping lists to customers, so they can see the food items needed by foodbanks and community groups in their area, and to answer questions customers have.
Emma Revie, Chief Executive of The Trussell Trust said: “Foodbanks across the country will be doing all they can to provide emergency support so people don’t go hungry this Christmas, but to make sure everyone referred receives vital help our network needs your support.
“The more people volunteering with foodbanks at the Tesco Food Collection, the more food will be collected from generous shoppers, and the better prepared foodbanks will be for their busiest time of year.”
Lindsay Boswell, FareShare CEO said: “Volunteers collect an average of 600 meals per three-hour shift, so we really can’t overestimate how important their contribution is.
“If you can spare a few hours to volunteer in your local store please do, and please encourage your friends, family and colleagues to get involved as well. You’ll be making an enormous difference.”
Tesco UK CEO Jason Tarry added: “Together we can make a real difference this Christmas through Tesco’s Food Collection scheme. Our customers have been incredibly generous in recent years and with the help of volunteers we hope to collect even more this year to support those who really need it.”
People can find out about local stores supporting FareShare and sign up to volunteer at: https://fareshare.org.uk/get-involved/tesco-food-collection/.
