Sussex shoppers urged to support food drive to help meet need during tough winter months

To support people through what could be the toughest winter for many years, Tesco’s Food Collection will run in Sussex Express stores until 2 December and in large stores from 30 November to 2 December.

During the collection customers will be encouraged to donate long-life food to support the charities. This year’s Tesco Christmas Report found that 26% of people plan to make a donation to a food bank this year.

The top 10 most-needed items required from Sussex shoppers are – UHT & powered milk, tinned meat and fish, sponge/rice pudding, long-life fruit juice, cooking/pasta sauces, tinned vegetables, tinned and dried soup, pasta, rice and noodles, cereal and porridge, tea and coffee.

Ken Murphy, Tesco Group CEO, said: “Over the last 10 years our generous customers have helped donate over 100 million meals to communities across the UK. Whether it’s in your local store through the Winter Food Collection or via your Clubcard points online, even the smallest donation can make a real difference to someone else’s Christmas.”

This year will see both charities face their busiest winter yet as more people turn to them for support. The Trussell Trust is expecting to distribute more than 1 million emergency food parcels between December and February and have reported that alarmingly, 320,000 people have needed to access a food bank for the first time in the past six months.

Meanwhile, FareShare is estimating it will redistribute more than 28,000 tonnes of food this winter, the equivalent of over 68 million meals, up by more than 42% compared to last year.

George Wright, FareShare Chief Executive, said: “Over the last decade, Tesco has supplied more than 250million meals to FareShare, more than any other organisation in our history. As we prepare for another challenging winter ahead, the items we collect play a crucial part in our efforts to get food to the communities that need it most. If you’re able to donate just one item at your local store, you’ll be helping to provide a meal for someone facing hunger this winter.”

Emma Revie, Trussell Trust Chief Executive, added: “The support provided by Tesco and their customers is invaluable to the food banks in our network, especially at this time of year when we anticipate that our network will be providing an emergency food parcel every eight seconds. The generous donations received are vital in ensuring food banks can meet the urgent levels of need, whilst we work towards a future where everyone can afford the essentials.”