Tesco announces extra support for Falkirk families over school holidays
With the school holidays now well underway, Tesco has announced extra help for families facing hunger over the break in Falkirk.
The extra support is needed as children who typically receive free school meals could now be at risk of missing out on essential food.
This summer until August 16, Tesco will sell pre-filled food donation bags across all of its large stores in Scotland.
Typically costing between £2 and £4, the bags contain healthy and nutritious long-life food and can be picked up in store and paid for at the checkout.
The donated items go directly to both Felix and the Trussell Trust, which distribute them to charities and food banks across the UK.
Food bank support for children remains 34 per cent higher than pre-pandemic levels, including a 24 per cent increase in the number of emergency food parcels issued for children aged under five, according to the Trussell Trust.
A recent survey carried out by the Felix charity found that 41 per cent of local charities receiving food via its UK food redistribution network have experienced an increase in demand during the last 12 months.
The summer support is in addition to Tesco’s Free Fruit & Veg for Schools programme which already provides help to more than 500 schools across Britain during term time.
In a further bid to help families, the supermarket giant is introducing a round up at the till initiative from August 3 to August 9, and it will run alongside the existing Kids Eat Free in cafes and free fruit for kids schemes.
Christine Heffernan, chief communications and sustainability officer at Tesco, said: “We want to be able to support our charity partners to help those needing a little extra support this summer. Our partnerships with Felix and Trussell are central to this aim.
“When you’re out doing your weekly shop this summer, dropping a few tins into a food collection point, picking up a food donation bag in our stores or rounding up our grocery bill, can make a difference to the lives of thousands of children in communities across the UK.”
For more information visit the Trussell website or Tesco fruit and veg grant website.