Festive plea from Highland supermarket to help those in need
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Two charities providing vital food to people hit by the Covid-19 pandemic are appealing for people in the Highlands to support the UK’s biggest food collection this Christmas.
From November 19 to 21, charities FareShare and the Trussell Trust will be collecting food in Tesco stores across the UK.
The need to help the food banks and community groups which the two charities support is more vital than ever this year.
FareShare are looking for people to volunteer at donation points in store whilst the Trussell Trust is looking for social media volunteers to share shopping lists to encourage people to donate.
Customers are encouraged to donate long-life food and Tesco will top up customer donations by 20 per cent in cash.
Last year, more than three million meals were collected as part of the Tesco Food Collection, and since its launch in 2012, more than 76 million meals have been donated.
“A crisis can often bring out the best in people, and we have been overwhelmed by the support the UK has shown towards food banks in light of the coronavirus outbreak."
Volunteers are needed to encourage shoppers to leave their donations in the collection point at the front of stores, with shoppers more likely to donate if volunteers are present.
Food banks in the Trussell Trust’s network hope to give out six emergency food parcels every minute this winter.
Katy Kitchingham, the trust’s area manager, said: “A crisis can often bring out the best in people, and we have been overwhelmed by the support the UK has shown towards food banks in light of the coronavirus outbreak. As we look to one of the busiest times of the year for food banks, we would be so grateful if people can share shopping lists of their local food bank’s most-needed items on their social media to encourage friends and family to donate. Together we can make a difference and ensure that food banks are able to help people in crisis this winter.”
Meanwhile FareShare has tripled the amount of food it has been providing since the start of the pandemic and will be supplying food to 11,000 front-line charities and community groups this winter.
Lindsay Boswell, FareShare’s chief executive, said: “We know that many people have already fallen victim to the economic impact of the pandemic and thousands more are at risk of losing their jobs and livelihoods. We have seen a huge increase in people turning to their local community groups for support and demand for food is more than double pre-pandemic levels.
“We would be hugely grateful to anyone who is able to volunteer this year to encourage more shoppers to donate.”
Volunteers must adhere to Covid rules in the store.
People interested in volunteering can find out more and sign up at fareshare.org.uk/foodcollection
