Tesco has launched donation bags in 300 stores as it ramps up help for food banks.
The bags contain the items most needed by charities tackling hunger on the frontline, including pasta, pulses and cooking sauces, and will typically cost around £3.50.
Tesco said it hoped the bags would make it easy for shoppers to help charities feeding people in their local communities this summer.
The donation bags will be available in stores from this week until 3 September. They will be displayed alongside the store’s permanent collection point, where customers can donate long-life food items year-round.
Last year Tesco shoppers donated the equivalent of 12.5 million meals to the Trussell Trust and FareShare through collections in store.
“We’re really proud of our partnerships with FareShare and the Trussell Trust and we want to continue to find ways to help them,” said Tesco head of community Claire de Silva.
“With more people using food banks, we wanted make donating as easy as possible for customers that 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.”
Donations are more important than ever as the charities have reported an increasing demand for food.
FareShare head of retail Polly Hofmann said: “The need for FareShare food has been rising rapidly 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 absolutely vital for the charities and community groups we provide food to. That’s why we’re thrilled that Tesco is making it even easier for people to support FareShare by introducing donation bags in store this summer.”
Trussell Trust CEO Emma Revie added: “We are extremely grateful to Tesco for once 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 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.”
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