Shoppers help big food drive

Generous shoppers at Sleaford’s Tesco store have been encouraged to back the UK’s biggest food drive to help as the Trussell Trust and FareShare expect to provide food to 1.2million people in the UK this winter.

The 10th annual Tesco Food Collection is taking place in every Tesco store from December 1 to 3, and comes as charities the Trussell Trust and FareShare expect to provide food to 1.2million people in the UK this winter.

The Sleaford Standard’s parent company, National World, is running a countrywide Christmas campaign to support the Trussell Trust, called Food Bank Friends, encouraging donations via www.trusselltrust.org/nationalworld/ . Across our family of newspapers, we aim to raise as much money as we can to support this vital charity this winter. Meanwhile FareShare supplies groceries to Sleaford’s New Life Community Larder.

Shoppers are encouraged to donate long-life food items at their local Tesco store. The donations will support food banks in the Trussell Trust’s network to provide emergency parcels to people in crisis and help FareShare supplement fresh food donations to thousands of frontline charities such as Sleaford’s food bank.

The items most needed were highlighted in store and Tesco customers could also round up their bill at the till to make a small donation to the charities or donate Clubcard vouchers online, with Tesco matching their value.

Tesco CEO Ken Murphy said: “This is going to be a difficult winter for food banks and charities and every can, packet or jar our customers donate to this weekend’s Tesco Food Collection will make a difference. We will top up all those donations with 20 per cent in cash to support the charities.”

Rod Munro, Project Leader at Sleaford Community Larder, commented: “The cost-of-living challenge is really kicking in for many families this coming Christmas and this has been seen through a drop in donations to the Community Larder of around 40 per cent against last year.

“Everyone is carefully looking at their household budgets and difficult choices are being made by many. We would really encourage the local community to support Sleaford Tesco’s Food Collection, as this will certainly help us this Christmas time. We would especially welcome festive food items as we plan to provide Christmas hampers and presents to those who most need it”.

Sleaford estate agents, Winkworth are also doing a Christmas food drop for the New Life Community Larder. If you can spare any food this Christmas, pop into their Northgate office from now until December 19. They are inviting seasonal items such as pudding, trifle, fruit cake, selection boxes, yule log, custard and tinned ham for festive food hampers and presents for households struggling this Christmas.

Simone Connolly, Director at FareShare Midlands, said: “Ten years on, the Tesco Food Collection has never been more important. The ongoing cost of living crisis has forced millions of people into food insecurity.”

The most-needed items on the shopping list for this December’s Tesco Food Collection are:

· UHT milk

· Tinned Meat/Fish

· Sponge/Rice Puddings

· Tea/Coffee

· Long-Life Juice

· Cooking sauces

· Peanut butter & preserves

· Tinned vegetables & pulses

· Rice, pasta & noodles