Tesco food donation bags set to support communities in Plymouth

Tesco is making it easier than ever for shoppers to give a helping hand to food banks and charities providing aid to people in Plymouth this summer.

The Plymouth Transit Way Superstore has been selected to take part in the special six-week trial. It will be offering pre-filled donation bags available for customers to buy and donate to the charities FareShare and the Trussell Trust.

The bags will contain items that are most needed by local foodbanks and charities. Customers will also get additional opportunities over the summer to round up their bill at the checkout to make it even easier to offer financial support.

Bags are available in stores until Sunday 3 September, alongside every Tesco store’s permanent collection point where customers can donate long-life food items all year round.

The option to round up at Plymouth stores’ tills is available to customers until 6 August and then again from 28 August to 3 September.

Tesco Head of Community Claire de Silva said: “We’re really proud of our partnerships with FareShare and the Trussell Trust and we want to continue to find ways to help them. With many food banks struggling to meet the rising levels of need, more people using food banks we wanted to make donating as easy as possible for customers that want to support their community. The donation bags will be available throughout the summer holidays, so it allows a real focus on families and children who need support.”

Donations are more important than ever as the charities have reported an increasing need demand for food.

Polly Hoffman, Head of Retail at FareShare, said: “The need for FareShare food has been rising rapidly as a result of the cost-of-living crisis, and will continue to do so throughout the summer holidays when more families rely on these vital local services to feed themselves and their loved ones.

“At a time when millions of people are going hungry, the donations we receive from generous Tesco customers is absolutely vital for the charities and community groups we provide food to. That’s why we’re thrilled that Tesco is making it even easier for people to support FareShare by introducing donation bags in store this summer.”

Emma Revie, CEO at the Trussell Trust, added: “We are extremely grateful to Tesco for once again providing innovative new ways for their customers to support our network of more than 1,300 food bank centres. Over the last year, food banks have faced record levels of need and, while donations have increased by 18%, our network distributed 37% more emergency food parcels than in 2021/2022.

“The generosity of Tesco and its customers plays a vital role in ensuring that food banks can continue to support people who cannot afford the essentials, as we continue working towards our vision of ending the need for food banks.”