Volunteers needed from in and around Leamington, Warwick and Kenilworth to help collect food for people in need this Christmas

Kind-hearted people in the Warwick district are being urged to sign up and join an army of volunteers needed to collect food for charities - and help feed people in their community this Christmas.

The Trussell Trust, which provides emergency food parcels to people in crisis, and FareShare, which provides food to thousands of frontline charities and community groups, are seeking volunteers to help during this year’s Tesco Food Collection.

The collection will take place in every Tesco store in the UK from November 18 to 20, and with many people facing a particularly difficult winter, the need to collect food for the charities is greater than ever.

Tesco will be topping up the donations made during the collection with a 20 per cent cash donation to help the charities in their work.

The presence of volunteers at the collection has a big impact on the amount of food donated and Simone Connolly, director at FareShare Midlands, is encouraging people to get involved, warning that charities will be under extra pressure this winter.

“With many people still feeling the effects of the pandemic, and, with the huge increase in heating bills and living costs coming in the lead up to the cold winter months, we know that there will be many people turning to their local grassroots organisations for support with food this Christmas,” she said.

“We would be hugely grateful to anyone who is able to volunteer at the Tesco food collection this year to encourage more shoppers to donate much-needed food to FareShare, so we can continue to support those who need it most.”

Hugh McNeill, project manager of the Coventry Food Bank, said: “Christmas can be an extremely difficult time for many people but especially for families facing crisis.

“We know that in Warwick too many people will be forced to use a food bank over the festive period because they are unable to afford the essentials.

“Supporting the Tesco Food Collection this November by volunteering could make all the difference to your local food bank during this busy period.

"You could donate a couple of hours of time and volunteer during the collection or alternatively, you could donate food to your local Tesco’s donation point.

"Please do get in touch to hear about volunteering opportunities.”

The Tesco Food Collection is the biggest collection of its kind in the UK, and a vital source of food for the two charities.

To date Tesco customers have donated more than 40 million meals during the in-store collections to support their work.

To volunteer for the collection sign up via FareShare: https://fareshare.org.uk/foodcollection/ or via the Trussell Trust: https://www.trusselltrust.org/get-involved/tesco-food-collection/