This in from Isle of Wight Foodbank, in their own words. Ed
Generous customers on the Island donated an incredible 1.8 tonnes of food at Tesco’s National Food Collection on 5th and 6th July to help local people in need.
Customers were asked to donate non-perishable food items such as long-life milk, cereals and tinned vegetables and fruit.
In June this year, Isle of Wight Foodbank are feeding an average of 100 people a week, 45% of which are children.
Tesco Extra, Ryde held the appeal in partnership with Isle of Wight Foodbank charity, the Trussell Trust. Nationally, Tesco stores, Trussell Trust Foodbanks, Fareshare & online grocery distribution centres across the country collected a grand total of 3.5 million meals for people in need.
Topped up 30% by Tesco
Tesco Extra topped up total donations by 30% and is working with Isle of Wight Foodbank to collect and distribute food to the local people in need.
Hannah King, Project Leader at Isle of Wight Foodbank said,
“It was an incredible amount of food that was donated by local people. All food donated on the Island, stays on the Island. We are always thrilled with the generosity of Islanders WITH THIS COLLECTION BEING OUR BIGGEST EVER. Our volunteers were at Tesco Extra until 10pm on Saturday and it has taken a week for us to take delivery and weigh in the food at our warehouse. It’s HUGE!”
Rebecca Shelley, Group Corporate Affairs Director at Tesco said,
“We’ve been overwhelmed by the response from customers on the Island and thanks to their generosity we’ve been able to collect much-needed food for people in need.
“Colleagues in all of our stores across the UK have also played their part and have been busy sorting food items and helping to distribute food over the last few days, so that food can be distributed to local people who are struggling to make ends meet.
“To raise 1.8 tonnes (1831.1 kilos) in the area is an incredible achievement and I want to thank all our customers and colleagues for their support.”
Tesco will begin to roll out permanent collection points in some of its larger stores in the coming months and will hold its next National Food Collection at the end of the year.
Chris Mould, Chairman of the Trussell Trust said:
“In the last three months alone Trussell Trust foodbanks have given three days’ emergency food to over 150,000 people in crisis and we know that the summer holidays can tip many low-income families over the edge. The extraordinary generosity of tens of thousands of members of the public across the UK at Tesco last weekend will help foodbanks to stop thousands of families from facing hunger this summer. We’re immensely grateful to Tesco for their invaluable support, the 30 per cent top up is a wonderful gift to our foodbanks which will make the public’s donations go much further.”
For more information on Foodbank visit their Website.
