Tag: Trussell

Tesco customers in Edinburgh thanked for generous Winter Food Collection support as 1.9 million meals donated

Stores across the country have been overwhelmed by the generosity of customers who donated at the Tesco Winter Food Collection.

An incredible 1.9 million meals’ worth of long-life food items were donated at the collection between 25th November and 30th November in all the retailer’s large and Express stores.

In Edinburgh, the collection saw customers donate 24,451 meals to make a difference in their local community.

Every item donated provides much-needed support for charities FareShare and Trussell in the run up to Christmas.

Donations to Trussell help food banks to provide emergency food parcels to people who cannot afford the essentials, while donations to FareShare support thousands of frontline local charities in communities across the country.

This winter will see heightened levels of need for both charities’ services with the Christmas holidays being a particularly difficult time for families due to the increased costs that occur at this time of year. With this in mind, Tesco provided an extra £500,000 of funding to FareShare and Trussell to meet this acute need.

Tesco CEO Ken Murphy said: “I just want to say a huge thank you to every single person who donated items at this year’s Winter Food Collection. Their generosity is always so amazing and really helps to make a huge impact in communities across the UK supported by Trussell and FareShare.”

Throughout the year Tesco donates unsold food to FareShare as part of its Community Food Connection scheme. That means so far this year Tesco and its customers have given the equivalent of more than 39 million meals to both charities.

In addition to the donations of food, the pre-Christmas Winter Food Collection saw more than £340,000 donated to the charities by customers rounding up their bills at the till and donating through a link from Tesco’s online groceries website.

Kristopher Gibbon-Walsh, CEO at FareShare, said: “Every year, we are blown away by the generosity of Tesco customers at the Winter Food Collection, and this year is no exception.

“Thank you to every single person that volunteered in store, donated an item of food, topped up their shopping bill, or made a donation to FareShare. Your kind support will ensure we can continue getting food out into the community, bringing people together and strengthening communities this winter.” 

Emma Revie, CEO of Trussell, said:“We are so grateful to Tesco for supporting food banks to get through this season by organising this year’s Winter Food Collection. Thank you to Tesco customers for coming out in support of your local food bank, to ensure they can continue helping everyone in your local community who is facing hunger and hardship this winter.

“Thanks to your efforts, we have collected 1.8 million meals to support people who need a food bank this winter. Thank you for your generosity – together we can end hunger for good.

“Food banks in the Trussell community are a last resort for people who’ve been left facing hunger and hardship. They’re a lifeline, offering a warm welcome and space to be heard. But with so many people unable to afford the essentials right now, food banks continue to provide exceptionally high levels of emergency food, with many telling us they are at breaking point.

“Just over 1.4 million emergency food parcels were provided across the UK by food banks in our community, between April and September this year.”

With both charities continuing to need support, Tesco shoppers can continue to donate food at permanent collection points at every Tesco store in the UK or make a donation after their online shop.

You can also donate at https://fareshare.donr.com/tesco until February 2025.

Cruden Group delivers 30 tonnes of vital food parcels over five years to support people at Christmas

For the fifth consecutive year, award-winning Scottish housebuilder Cruden has spread festive goodwill by partnering with Trussell, an anti-poverty charity that operates a community of over 1,400 food banks across the UK.

Since 2020, Cruden has made an incredible contribution of over £66,000 and approximately 30 tonnes of food supplies to food banks in the Trussell community, providing vital relief to families and individuals facing hunger and hardship across the UK. These collective efforts have fostered a profound sense of community and care across Scotland during the festive season.

This year, Cruden has continued its notable support by collecting an additional £9,000 in donations and over 6 tonnes of essential supplies, including non-perishable food, toiletries, and festive treats. These provisions were distributed to food banks across Scotland, to support people most in need during the cost-of-living crisis. 

These achievements have been made possible through the dedication of Cruden staff, contractors, and partners, who united across six developments and the Central Belt of Scotland to contribute high-priority items identified by local food banks.

Colin Kennedy, Construction Director at Cruden, said: “We’re immensely proud of the impact we’ve made over the past five years in supporting Trussell.

“This year’s contributions are more critical than ever, and we’re deeply grateful to everyone who participated. Together, we’re making a real difference in the lives of families who need it most during the festive season.”

Sophie Carre, Head of Public Engagement at Trussell said: “Thank you to Cruden for supporting Trussell.

“Between March and September this year food banks in Trussell’s UK-wide community distributed more than more than 1.4m emergency food parcels to people facing hardship – this is an increase of 69% over the same period five years ago. More than 500,000 of these parcels were distributed for children.

“Food bank teams are working tirelessly to help people unable to afford the essentials and thanks to the generosity of supporters like Cruden, they can continue to provide vital emergency support in their communities, while we work together to end the need for food banks in the UK. Thank you.”