Tesco shoppers have donated the equivalent of 12.5 million meals to support food banks and charities over the past year, more than ever before.
Tesco CEO Jason Tarry attributed the rise in donations to the “incredible generosity” of customers as well as the supermarket’s work to make it easier for them to donate.
“Our customers have always amazed us with their generosity, this year more than ever,” he said.
More than 2.4m meals were donated during the three-day Tesco Food Collection which took place at the beginning of December; a rise of 53% on last year, despite many cutting back on their own spending amid the cost-of-living crisis.
“We know that household budgets are very stretched, but our customers have been incredible. We had people donating whole trollies of food at our recent Tesco Food Collection, and it is genuinely heart-warming to see so much kindness,” Tarry said.
“The fact that we now have collection points in every store has made it easier than ever for customers to donate, and those donations are really needed.”
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The Tesco Food Collection donations – which the supermarket tops up by 20% to help the charities with their operational costs – were split between the Trussell Trust, which helps food banks provide emergency food parcels to people in crisis, and FareShare, which supports local charities in communities across the country.
The supermarket’s pre-Christmas food collection also raised more than £380,000 in cash through customer donations as they rounded up their bills at the till or donated online. A further £20,000 was raised by Tesco’s Give Back Express pop-up shop in London.
Trussell Trust CEO Emma Revie said charities across the UK are facing their “hardest winter yet” as they struggle to cope with a “tsunami of need caused by the cost-of-living emergency”.
“On a daily basis, our network is hearing from families up and down the country who are having to make impossible decisions between putting food on the table or turning on the heating – and too many people are being left with no option but to use a food bank because their money simply won’t stretch.
“Thanks to the incredible generosity of Tesco customers, food banks across the Trussell Trust network can continue to provide emergency support to people facing hardship.”
FareShare CEO Lindsay Boswell CBE also thanked the grocer’s 2,000-strong team of volunteers.
“Our charities have told us how difficult things have become as a result of the cost-of-living crisis, with many expecting to see a huge increase in need as the weather gets even colder,” he said.
“The support we have seen from people at the collections and throughout 2022, in both time and donations, will help FareShare to continue getting much needed food to the people that need it most this winter.”
