FDBusiness.com

Generous Tesco customers have donated 5.1 million meals for people in need. The total was calculated following the Neighbourhood Food Collection which took place in every store across the UK between 3-5 July. The latest Neighbourhood Food Collection was held between in partnership with foodbanks charity, the Trussell Trust and food redistribution charity, FareShare.

It takes the nationwide total of meals provided since January 2014 to 5.1 million meals which means the total since the campaign began in December 2012 has hit 15.3 million meals. This figure includes 30% top-up from Tesco, as well as donations from permanent and local collections, plus surplus food provision.

The food collected will benefit those living in food poverty, many of whom struggle during the summer months. Often low-income families, who normally receive free school meals, have to find ways to make their budgets stretch to afford extra meals for their children.

During the collection, customers were asked to donate non-perishable food items such as long-life milk, cereals and tinned vegetables and fruit. Volunteers from the Trussell Trust, FareShare, Rotary Club and the British Red Cross joined Tesco colleagues in store to collect donations from kind-hearted customers.

The food, weighing in at 2,135 tonnes is being transported to regional FareShare depots and local Trussell Trust foodbanks across the country to help people in times of need this summer.

Lindsay Boswell, CEO of FareShare, says: “Once again, we have been completely blown away by the generosity of the Great British public – generosity that will allow us to keep helping the most vulnerable people in society. We are incredibly grateful to Tesco and their customers as we will now be able to provide the 1,290 charities we support with more of the food they need.”