A foodbank in Harrow has been supporting its local community throughout the COVID-19 pandemic by providing food to an average of 600 people each week thanks to food provided by local Tesco stores.
Sharing is Caring receives food parcels containing a variety of food products provided through Tesco’s Community Food Connection scheme, which is run in partnership with food redistribution charity FareShare.
Run by a team of 30 volunteers, Sharing is Caring collects and distributes food from Tesco stores in the area to help reduce surplus food and provide supplies for local people who need a bit of extra help.
Set up originally in June 2020, Sharing is Caring has been operating from the Beacon Centre on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and from St Andrew’s Church Roxbourne on Saturdays, whilst its premises have been out of use during lockdown. As restrictions ease, the charity is on the lookout for a new, permanent location in order to keep providing food to people in the area.
Michelle Hunte, Founder of Sharing is Caring, said: “We’ve all been through extremely difficult times over the last year which has shown how important it is to club together and help each other.
“There’s no criteria for who can receive food at our foodbank and we leave all stigmas at the door. We’re currently on the hunt for a new location in the area so we can continue to fight food waste and support the locals.
“We are also on the lookout for a refrigerated van to keep the food chilled so that we can continue to operate throughout the Summer months.
“We’re hugely appreciative of Tesco’s food donations, as without them, Sharing is Caring wouldn’t have been possible.”
Tesco Community Food Connection links stores to local charities and community groups to ensure that no good food goes to waste.
Claire De Silva, Head of Communities at Tesco, said: “We know that the Community Food Connection scheme is making a real difference to groups like Sharing is Caring by providing a little bit of extra help in the shape of surplus food from our stores.
“This is the biggest supermarket food redistribution scheme in the UK, and we know there are more groups that could receive food for the work they carry out, so I would encourage any group that thinks it could benefit to contact FareShare, so we can help even more good causes.”
Lindsay Boswell, Chief Executive at FareShare, said: “We are incredibly thankful to Tesco for its continued support of FareShare. We work with a number of charities and community groups providing essential support to their local communities, and receiving a steady stream of food helps them to feed those who need it most.”
