UK retailer Tesco has taken unprecedented steps to ensure it is serving the community by putting together a £30 million package of support for those less fortunate during the coronavirus outbreak.
Tesco has announced plans to increase its food donations to FareShare and the Trussell Trust by some £15 million of food over the next 12 weeks as part of its Community Food Connection scheme. In addition, it is donating £1 million between the two organisations to support their operations.
“We will significantly boost our food donations programme, to ensure food banks and community groups have the supplies they need; whilst giving extra resources to the British Red Cross and focus our Bags of Help scheme to deliver more community support where it’s most needed at this difficult time,” said Tesco CEO Dave Lewis.
Lindsay Boswell, chief executive of FareShare, added: “We know that many of the frontline charities we work with are continuing to provide vital support in their communities, and so the combination of funding and unprecedented food donations from Tesco will allow us to ensure they have a consistent supply of food during this difficult time.”
Among the other initiatives forged by Tesco:
- It will focus £2 million of funding from our existing Bags of Help community donation scheme to charities that are helping the most vulnerable.
- It is donating £2 million to the Red Cross, to help it continue its work.
- It is freeing up more than £1 million of funding to support causes in local-area stores.
“The world is facing an unprecedented global emergency, and we are extremely thankful for Tesco’s generous donation which together will help us continue our vital work, putting kindness into action and supporting the most vulnerable people during the coronavirus outbreak,” Mike Adamson, chief executive of British Red Cross, said.
Tesco’s Bags of Help COVID-19 Community Fund hopes to support as many groups as possible with grants of £500. This includes women’s refugees, food banks, hospices, homeless charities, school, among others.
