Image: British Red Cross

The British Red Cross and food charity FareShare have teamed up to help tackle food poverty and hunger in the UK by organising a food drive in Tesco stores, which will take place on 29 and 30 November and 1 December.

Volunteers at Tesco stores will be collecting food donations, and will also encourage shoppers to buy extra items with their weekly grocery shop to donate to charity. In particular, they are asking for donations of long life products such as rice, pasta, tea and coffee, as these items rarely become surplus. Fareshare will then distribute these food donations along with any leftover fresh food from supermarkets, to hundreds of charities such as lunch clubs for older people, women’s refuges and food banks. 

The charities aim to help feed about 130,000 vulnerable people across the UK with what is donated during the drive. FareShare estimates that 5.8 million people in Britain are currently struggling to afford everyday essentials like food.

Simon Lewis, head of emergency planning and response for the British Red Cross, said: “Many people are struggling to cope in the current economic climate. As a humanitarian organisation, we are worried that vulnerable people such as the elderly and young children may not have enough nutritious food. Unbelievably, three million tonnes of food are wasted in the UK every year while thousands go hungry. We’re delighted to help FareShare give much-needed support to people in crisis.”

Supporters can donate food at Tesco stores where there are Fareshare or Red Cross volunteers on 29 and 30 November, and 1 December. The charities are also looking for volunteers to help them collect the food donations, you can find out more on the FareShare or Red Cross websites.