Tesco has once again held its annual Food Collection, to support those in need in and around local communities, and local MP, David Rutley, visited the Macclesfield branch on Saturday 1st December, to give his support to this important initiative.
On his visit, David met with Macclesfield Tesco’s Community Champion, Sheena King, and Deputy Store Manager, Michael Houghton, to see first-hand the help that food donations from customers make to those in need. Customers were invited to make donations of long-life food, groceries, and household supplies, and leave them at the food collection point in designated stores. Tesco then adds up how much food customers have donated, and then top this up by 20 per cent, before giving it to its charity partners, The Trussell Trust and FareShare, for distribution to local food banks that apply for this assistance. These include Cheshire Streetwise and Reach Out And Recover (ROAR).
As well as operating the Food Collection, Ms King informed David that Tesco is taking steps to reduce food waste by donating surplus food to charities that work with those who are homeless or sleeping rough, including Cheshire Streetwise. Ms King also explained to David that the Food Collection is just one part of the wider support that Tesco in Macclesfield gives to the local community. In the last year, Tesco raised £66,930 through its popular Bags of Help initiative, benefiting a number of respected local charities.
The Food Collection operates at Tesco stores across the country. Last year, the company was able to provide more than 3.4 million meals to people in need nationwide. Since it was launched in 2012, Tesco has donated 49 million meals to FareShare and The Trussell Trust.
Speaking after his visit, David said, "Whatever the time of year, but particularly during the festive season, it is vital that we support those in need in our local communities. The Tesco Food Collection is a timely way that we can do this, and I am very grateful to all those local residents who once again gave so generously to support the important initiative, and to Tesco in Macclesfield for making this possible."