By Lincolnshire food charities seek Christmas volunteers
Two Lincolnshire based charities providing vital food to people hit by the coronavirus pandemic are appealing for people to help over the festive period.
Volunteers are needed to support what charities FareShare and the Trussell Trust are calling “the UK’s biggest food collection” this Christmas.
From Thursday, November 19 until Saturday, November 21 both charities will be collecting food in Tesco stores across the UK.
The need for food to help the food banks and community groups which the two charities support is more vital than ever this year, and has grown at an incredible rate due to the ongoing pressures caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
FareShare are looking for people to volunteer at donation points in store.
Meanwhile, the Trussell Trust is looking for social media volunteers to share shopping lists on social media to encourage people to donate.
Customers are encouraged to donate long-life food to help food banks and community groups support people this Christmas.
Tesco will top up customer donations by 20% in cash to aid the two charities in their work.
Last year, 3 million meals were collected as part of the Tesco Food Collection.
Since 2012, more than 76 million meals have been donated to the two charities by Tesco customers.
Foodbanks in the Trussell Trust’s network are expecting to give out six emergency food parcels every minute this winter.
Andrew Cleaver, Trussell Trust’s Regional Manager, said:
“A crisis can often bring out the best in people, and we have been overwhelmed by the support the UK has shown towards food banks in light of the coronavirus outbreak.
“As we look to the one of the busiest times of the year for food banks in our network, we would be so grateful if people can share shopping lists of their local food bank’s most-needed items on their social media to encourage friends and family to donate.
“Together we can make a difference and ensure that food banks are able to help people in crisis this winter.”
FareShare’s Development Manager Laura Spencer, added:
“We know that many people have already fallen victim to the economic impact of the pandemic and thousands more are at risk of losing their jobs and livelihoods.
“We have seen a huge increase in people turning to their local grassroots community groups for support and demand for food is more than double pre-pandemic levels.
“We would be hugely grateful to anyone who is able to volunteer this year to encourage more shoppers to donate much needed ambient food to those who need it most.”
