Sutton Coldfield shoppers could bring early Christmas cheer for needy families by donating food at their local Tesco store.

This Christmas will be a struggle for many, due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the economic fallout – and families with children are going to be the hardest hit of all.

Foodbank charity the Trussell Trust expects its network of UK food banks to give out an emergency food parcel every nine seconds this winter, while FareShare is supplying food to 11,000 frontline charities helping to feed families and individuals in communities across the country.

The trust has enjoyed working in partnership with Tesco for more than seven years and have supported over a million people in crisis.

With Tesco and food redistribution charity FareShare they are working to make a positive difference in local communities across the UK.

The partnership with Tesco is instrumental in ensuring the network of food banks has enough food to meet the increasing demand. Through permanent collection points, located in over 450 Tesco stores, people can donate food to their local food bank while doing their weekly shop.

Tesco generously tops up its customers’ food donations with a financial donation of 2 0per cent of the value of the items donated.

The top-up is calculated using an average valuation of £1.75/kg for all items donated. This valuation is calculated by looking up the items that make up a standard food parcel and checking the prices of these items in Tesco’s standard own-label range.

Customers unable to contribute food in store can help by donating Tesco Clubcard points to the two organisations.

Last year s Tesco shoppers donated more than three million meals during the collection, and this year the need for food is greater than ever, with every single item gathered making a difference to someone’s life.

“The effects of the pandemic are being felt far and wide,” says FareShare CEO Lindsay Boswell. “More people than ever are turning to charities and community groups because they’re unable to feed themselves and their families.”

The collection launches in Tesco Express stores today and in large stores from Thursday. Customers are being asked to donate food up to November 21.

It’s as simple as buying the items with your usual shopping and dropping them in the dedicated Food Collection trolley at the exit. The food needed includes longer-life items such as rice, tea and tinned goods, all of which can be made into nutritious meals.

Customers unable to contribute food in store can help by donating Tesco Clubcard points to the two organisations.

All the food that goes to FareShare is used to provide meals for vulnerable groups, such as isolated older people and those in homeless shelters. Tesco tops up the value of all these donations with an additional 20 percent in cash.

In addition to the permanent collection points in hundreds of Tesco stores, and ad hoc collections at stores throughout the year, we also work with Tesco and FareShare on the annual Food Collection in the run-up to Christmas.

This provides much-needed food and funds for local food banks at a critical time of year. The Food Collection is great fun for volunteers and Tesco employees alike and, since its inception in 2012, Tesco customers have donated more than 50 million meals.