Tesco this morning announced a £1m support package for food banks and food charities after the Trussell Trust warned they are facing their most difficult winter ever.
With food banks and other frontline charities hit by a double whammy of unprecedented demand and soaring operating costs, Tesco has stepped in with a £1m donation split between the Trussell Trust and FareShare to help them meet the exceptional challenges they are facing.
The extra money comes in addition to the ongoing support the supermarket provides to both charities, having worked in partnership with them for the past decade.
Tesco is the biggest supplier of food distributed by FareShare, having donated 20 million meals of surplus food to the charity in the past year alone, whilst Tesco and its customers are the biggest single source of food donations for the Trussell Trust’s food banks.
The Trussell Trust launched its emergency appeal today after seeing a 46% increase in food parcels handed out during August and September. Food banks throughout its network have been feeling the pressure of rising bills – for example, the Bradford North Foodbank has been forced to reduce the use of its van to just two days a week to rein in fuel costs.
Meanwhile, FareShare’s regional centres, which supply frontline charities and community groups across the UK with food are facing rising bills to keep fridges and freezers running and to keep delivery vans on the road. One of its regions, FareShare Midlands, expects its fuel bills to be up to 70% higher this winter, even after Government support.
The Tesco donation will be split between the charities and will not be ring-fenced, so the charities are free to use the money where it is most needed. The additional £1m brings Tesco’s support for charities and community projects to more than £10m this year.
