On Saturday 20th October, shoppers at Tesco Newton Aycliffe Extra were asked to add an additional item of food such as tinned soup, cereal and rice to their shopping, and donate it to FareShare.
FareShare then deliver the items to charities and community projects in the region, including homeless shelters and day centres.
Tesco staff, assisted by members of the Rotary Club, collected items at Tesco from 8.00am to 8.00pm.
FareShare is a national charity fighting hunger and food waste in the UK. Last year, FareShare rescued a staggering 3,600 tonnes of surplus food which contributed towards more than 8.6 million meals, feeding 36,500 people a day.
Lindsay Boswell, CEO, FareShare said: “Thanks to your help, we’ll be able to combine the donated kitchen cupboard essentials with the short life surplus meat, fruit and vegetables that we receive daily from the food industry. This will make these surpluses go even further in a time of real need.
Store manager for Tesco Newton Aycliffe, Martin Butcher said: “We know how tough it is for some families at the moment so we asked local people to donate as much as they can. Donating just one item of food could make a huge difference to parents whose child might otherwise go to bed hungry.”
