GENEROUS shoppers across Wokingham donated nearly 1,000lbs of much-needed food for local people in need this Christmas.
A wide range of long-life food was donated by shoppers at the Finchampstead Road Tesco store between 16-19 November.
This year the Tesco Food collection, which supports charities the Trussell Trust and FareShare, is of particular importance because of the crisis caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Louise Jedras, Wokingham Tesco community champion, was thrilled.
“This has been incredible,” she said. “I would like to say a huge thank-you to all our customers who donated. We saw such amazing generosity for our local Foodbank.
“Over the three days we collected 928lbs of Christmas goodies and essentials, and Tesco will now give a 20% top-up to the total.
“I hope that this will make a difference to those people who need it this Christmas. The pandemic has had a terrible financial effect on many people, so perhaps this food donation will lift spirits just a bit.”
The donated food has been passed on to the Wokingham Foodbank, which is part of the Trussell Trust, a charity supporting a nationwide network of food banks.
Annette Medhurst, Wokingham Foodbank Manager, added: “Given the challenges faced by so many in our community, we were absolutely blown away by the volume of donations we received from Tesco customers during the collection weekend.
“We have always had a very strong relationship with Wokingham Tesco, their staff and their customers.
“Their kindness and generosity will go a long way to making Christmas that little bit easier for households in Wokingham that are struggling to make ends meet.”
