UK’s biggest food collection calls for volunteers to support charities

With food banks and charities facing increasing levels of need this wintertime, people are being urged to give the gift of their time to take part in the UK’s biggest food donation drive.

The Tesco Food Collection is taking place in all Tesco stores from November 30th to December 2nd and the Trussell Trust and FareShare are urging volunteers to sign-up to support the event in store. 

It comes as both charities face their busiest winter yet as more people turn to them for support. The Trussell Trust, which has the largest foodbank network in the UK, is expecting to distribute more than 1 million emergency food parcels between December and February, while FareShare has over 1,500 frontline charities on its waiting list seeking food.

During the collection Tesco customers are to be encouraged to donate long-life food to support the charities in their work. Donations for the Trussell Trust will help its network of food banks provide emergency food parcels to people who cannot afford the essentials, while donations to FareShare will get food to its network of 8,500 local charities and community groups.  

Tesco is calling on volunteers to staff collection points to raise awareness of the impact every donation will have on people across the UK, who rely on Trussell Trust and FareShare for food.

Donations are needed now more than ever, with one in five Trussell Trust food parcels coming from Tesco and its customers. 

Trussell Trust Chief Executive Emma Revie said: “This winter is going to be the toughest yet for the food banks in our network as they will help approximately 600,000 people and provide an emergency parcel every eight seconds. The teams in our food banks are working tirelessly to ensure everyone receives the support they need but they cannot do it alone. 

"By volunteering at the Tesco Winter Food Collection you will not only be helping to gather much-needed donations to keep your local food bank going, you’ll also be making a real difference to families who cannot afford the essentials in your community. If you can spare a few hours to volunteer then please do.”

George Wright, chief executive at FareShare added: “We anticipate need will keep rising as people continue to struggle to afford the essentials like food and heating this winter. Tesco’s support for FareShare throughout the cost of living crisis, and the last 11 years, has been unwavering, and we’re incredibly grateful for their support in helping drive more donations during what will be a difficult winter for many.

“Volunteers play a huge role in the success of the Tesco Food Collection each year. By giving up just three hours of your time, you can make a huge impact by helping more people understand the importance If donating food to FareShare during this increasingly difficult time.”

Claire De Silva, Head of Community at Tesco, said: “Every year our Winter Food Collection gets such an amazing response from our customers. We know that they give even more generously when we have volunteers in our stores helping them to choose the right items that are needed so we would urge anyone who can to please sign up and help make a difference.” 

You can sign up to volunteer with FareShare at https://fareshare.org.uk/foodcollection/ or with the Trussell Trust at https://www.trusselltrust.org/get-involved/tesco-food-collection/volunteer/ 

Tesco makes food bank donations a little easier for customers

Food banks and charities see demand rise during the summer months. And Tesco is helping its customers make donations to food banks by selling Food bank donation bags in 300 Tesco stores.

The bags are pre-filled with items that are most needed by families.

The donation bags, which customers can pick up as they enter the store, will contain the items most needed by foodbanks and charities, likes pasta, pulses and pasta sauce and will typically cost around £3.50.

The bags make it a quick and easy way for shoppers to give a helping hand to food banks and charities feeding people in their local communities this summer. 

Last year, the total amount of food donated by Tesco shoppers to the Trussell Trust and FareShare was the equivalent of 12.5 million meals.

The donation bags will be available in Tesco stores until Sunday September 3, alongside every Tesco store’s permanent collection point where customers can donate long life food items all year round. 

Over the summer, customers can also round up their bill to the nearest pound at the checkout to make it even easier to offer financial support to those who are in need. This will be available to 6th August and 28th August to 3rd September.

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

Polly Hoffman, Head of Retail at FareShare, said: “The need for FareShare food has been rising quickly 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 across the UK, the donations we receive from generous Tesco customers is really vital for the charities and community groups we provide food to.  That’s why we’re thrilled 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're extremely grateful to Tesco for 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.”

(EDITOR: Other supermarkets such as Morrisons also offer food bank bag donation points in their stores.)

Trussell Trust releases food bank figures

New annual figures from the Trussell Trust show nearly 3 million (2,986,203) food parcels were distributed, that's more than ever before and over a million of the parcels were provided for children.

The number of parcels provided between April 2022 – March 2023 is more than double the amount distributed by food banks in the same period five years previously.

The Trussell Trust has issued a call for a stronger social security system that ensures families can at least cover life’s essentials, such as food, heating, and clothing.

New figures released by the Trussell Trust reveal almost 3 million (2,986,203) emergency food parcels were provided to people facing hardship between April 2022 and March 2023, with over a million of these parcels provided for children.

This is the most parcels food banks in the charity’s UK-wide network have ever distributed in a single year and represents a staggering 37% increase compared to last year.  

The annual statistics also show an increasing number of people are struggling to afford the essentials, over 760,000 people used a food bank in the Trussell Trust network for the first time. This is more than the population of Sheffield and a 38% increase in people who have needed support for the first time, compared to the same period last year.  

The levels of need were particularly acute in the winter, and December 2022 was the busiest month on record for the network, with a parcel being distributed by staff and volunteers across the country every eight seconds.   

 Brian Thomas, Chief Executive at South Tyneside Foodbank, said: “We are experiencing an unprecedented rise in the number of people coming to the food bank, particularly employed people who are no longer able to balance a low income against rising living costs. 

"We’re also seeing a really high number of families needing support as people struggle to afford the essentials. Food donation levels are not keeping up with the significant increase in need and this is putting us under a lot of strain, it’s a real pressure cooker situation for food banks.”  

Speaking about the rising need for emergency food, Emma Revie, Chief Executive at the Trussell Trust, pointed out: “These new statistics are extremely concerning and show an increasing number of people are being left with no option but to turn to charitable, volunteer-run organisations to get by and this is not right.

The continued increase in parcel numbers over the last five years indicates it's ongoing low levels of income and a social security system that isn’t fit for purpose that are forcing more people to need food banks, rather than just the recent cost of living crisis or the COVID-19 pandemic.  

“Food banks were created to provide short-term support to people in an emergency, they are not a lasting solution to hunger and poverty, and over three quarters of the UK population agree with us that they should not need to exist.  

“The staff and volunteers in our network work tirelessly to ensure help continues to be available, but the current situation is not one they can solve alone. 

“For too long people have been going without because social security payments don't reflect life’s essential costs and people are being pushed deeper into hardship as a result. If we are to stop this continued growth and end the need for food banks then the UK government must ensure that the standard allowance of Universal Credit is always enough to cover essential costs.” 

John, 35, has had to use a food bank when he lost his home and his job and became homeless, said: “When I was homeless, food banks saved me. They provided me with food, shower gels and other necessities I couldn’t afford. But it also gave me somewhere to go for a chat or to see someone. The kindness I was shown there, has stuck with me.  

“I currently volunteer at my local food bank as a trustee, and I help run the food bank. I work three days a week.

“I wanted to pass on the kindness I was first shown when I needed a food bank. My experience has helped me to be better equipped to understand the tough situations some people are in when they need our food bank, and I can show empathy and understanding. But ultimately, food banks shouldn’t be needed in the first place, everyone should be able to afford to buy their own food and afford the essentials.” 

The Trussell Trust’s long-term goal to end the need for food banks is one that the general public agrees with. Polling by YouGov on behalf of the Trussell Trust suggests that the public are increasingly concerned with issues related to poverty and hunger in the UK.

The majority of the UK public (77%) thinks that food banks should not be needed in the UK, with a strong majority agreeing (93%) that everyone should be able to buy enough food for themselves and their family.  

To help ensure that everyone has the income they need to afford the essentials, the Trussell Trust is calling for the UK government to act now to strengthen our social security system.  

The charity has joined with Joseph Rowntree Foundation in urging the UK government to embed in law an ‘Essentials Guarantee’ that would make sure Universal Credit payments always, at a minimum, provide enough to the cover cost of essentials such as food, utilities and vital household goods. 

Research by the charities reveals the £85 weekly Universal Credit standard allowance is at least £35 less than the weekly cost of essential items for a single person, contributing to hundreds of thousands of people being forced to use food banks because they can’t make ends meet.  

 The Essentials Guarantee would be enshrined in law and set regularly, based on an independent recommendation, and would be the first time since the welfare state was created that social security rates were based on what people need, and how much those things actually cost.

The charities calculated that a list of essential items including water bills, gas and electric, travel expenses, food items such as bread, rice and vegetables, and hygiene and cleaning products like toothpaste and washing up liquid currently costs approximately £120 per week for a single person. 

https://www.trusselltrust.org