As temperatures plunge below freezing before winter officially begins, Salisbury Foodbank is urging shoppers to donate to this year’s Tesco Winter Food Collection. Over a million emergency food parcels are expected to be distributed between December and February,

From Thursday, November 30 to Saturday, December 2, customers at Tesco Extra Salisbury, Tesco Amesbury and Tesco Tidworth will be encouraged to pick up an extra item or two as part of their weekly shop to drop in special donation trollies on the way out of the store.

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The Trussell Trust network expects to distribute an emergency food parcel every eight seconds this winter as many people struggle to afford essential items.

Customers are being asked to donate essential items of long-life food such as long-life fruit juice, tinned meat, tinned fish, rice, soup and Christmas treats to support the hamper project.

Maria Stevenson, manager of Salisbury Foodbank, said: “Thanks to Tesco and the generosity of its customers, we hope to continue to offer vital support to families and children over the coming months, which we know will be particularly tough for many people in South Wiltshire.  So far in 2023 we have shared over 64,000 meals to local people.”

Between April and October of 2023, more than 320,000 people sought support from a food bank for the first time as soaring living costs continued to put pressure on households across the UK.