Brixton Tesco shoppers have donated food that would make more than 4,000 meals to charities feeding people this winter.
During the twice-yearly Tesco food collection, which ran in all Tesco stores in the UK from 18 to 20 November, customers were asked to donate long-life food to FareShare and the Trussell Trust.
FareShare is a national network of 18 charitable food redistributors. They take good quality surplus food and get it to more than 10,500 frontline charities and community groups.
The Trussell Trust supports a nationwide network of food banks, including the Norwood and Brixton food bank, and campaigns for change to end the need for them.
Tesco said customers had given the highest volume of food donations to support local charities since the start of the pandemic, providing 1.57m meals during the campaign, with shoppers in Brixton donating 4,074 meals.
The supermarket once again topped up customer donations with a 20% cash donation to the two charities.
FareShare chief executive Lindsay Boswell said the donations would make a huge difference to the frontline charities they supplied.
“The Tesco food collection is so important to FareShare because donations of long-life items mean we are able to complement the fresh food that we receive year-round from Tesco with staples like rice, tinned vegetables and tea and coffee,” he said.
Emma Revie, chief executive of the Trussell Trust, said the donations would help provide food to people who faced impossible decisions this Christmas.
“Throughout 2021, communities across the UK have stepped in to provide vital support to people at food banks, left without enough money for the essentials,” she said.
“This emergency lifeline is only possible due to the incredible compassion and generosity of Tesco customers, including those in Brixton, during the Tesco food collection.
“Right now, people near you are making impossible decisions between staying warm or buying food as food banks in our network face providing 7,000 emergency food parcels to people in crisis every day this month.
“It’s not right that any of us are forced to a charity for the essentials, but we continue to be truly humbled by how much people are willing to give and so we thank you for your continued support while we work in the long term to build a future without the need for food banks.”
