Last week saw our annual 3-day collection in Haddington, Musselburgh and North Berwick Tesco stores and once again we were overwhelmed by the generosity of our supporters as shoppers donated 7,353.4kg of non-perishable food items over the 3 days.
A huge thank you to everyone who donated during the collection, we know it’s not been an easy year and are appreciative of every single item given and for every smile for our volunteers.
Our collection wouldn’t have been a success without the support of our outstanding team of foodbank and local rotary volunteers who together greeted customers, held up shopping lists, sorted donations, collected them from stores and delivered them to the foodbank.
We also wouldn’t have been able to do it without the support of Tesco who organised the collection and who also generously top up customers’ food donations with a financial donation of 20% of the value of the items donated, which will support us in the provision of emergency food parcels and practical support.
Christmas is supposed to be a season for joy and celebration – but for millions of families it is one of the toughest times of the year as they struggle to put food on the table and heat their homes. It is estimated that food banks in the Trussell Trust network of which East Lothian is a member face distributing over 7,000 emergency food parcels a day to people in crisis this winter. The food donations will be used to support people across the local area who are struggling to put food on the table this Christmas and could be forced to use a food bank over the festive period.
Elaine Morrison, manager of East Lothian Foodbank, said:
“For many people, this winter will be extremely challenging with many families struggling to heat their homes and put food on the table. Last year, we provided over 3000 emergency food parcels to people in crisis, but we know it doesn’t have to be like this.
No one in East Lothian should be facing hunger and we want to see an end to local people needing emergency food at all. That’s why we’re working alongside other food banks in the Trussell Trust network to bring about long-term change to end hunger not only during the Christmas season, but at any time of year.
However, while we work to tackle the reasons why people don’t have enough money for the essentials, any donations of our most-needed items will be invaluable. Thanks to Tesco and the generosity of its customers, we are able to continue to offer vital support to families and children throughout East Lothian this winter.”
The Trussell Trust, which supports a nationwide network of over 1,300 food banks including East Lothian Foodbank, has seen year-on-year increases in numbers of emergency food parcels distributed to people who are living in crisis.
Emma Revie, chief executive of the Trussell Trust, said:
“Christmas is supposed to be a season of joy and celebration – but for millions of families it can also be a particularly tough time of year as they struggle to cover the basic costs of living such as heating, bills, food and other essentials.
“Food banks in our network work incredibly hard throughout the year to ensure that people in crisis get support – but Christmas is often their busiest period and we are always truly humbled to see how much Tesco customers are willing to donate to meet this increased need over the winter months.
“No one should have to go hungry at Christmas, or any time of year. But I have no doubt that the generosity of Tesco customers and colleagues this winter will once again help food banks provide the best possible help to families in crisis today, while working towards a future where everyone can afford the essentials in life – like food.
“Thank you for your generosity – together we can make a difference.”
The Tesco food collection took place in every Tesco store in the UK. It is the biggest collection of its kind and a vital source of food for the Trussell Trust food banks.