TEIGNBRIDGE supermarket customers can support families facing financial difficulties during the Easter school holidays by picking up an extra bag to put through the checkout at Tesco stores.

The donation bags, which cost between £2 and £5, are pre-packed with healthy long life food items.

They will be available in the large Tesco store at Kingsteignton during the Easter break March 30 to April 12.

Other key items that can be donated as part of the scheme are pasta, rice and noodles, cereal and porridge, tea and coffee, sponge/rice pudding, and UHT and powered milk.

The Easter Holiday Helps initiative is part of Tesco’s year-round support for schoolchildren and families. This includes the Fruit and Veg for Schools programme, which helps schools with the highest rates of free school meals by offering grants for purchasing fruit and vegetables from Tesco stores. The scheme also helps children to get healthier snack choices and lunch options while they’re at school.

Claire De Silva, Head of Communities at Tesco, said: ‘Holiday periods can be really tough for South Devon families who miss out on their free school meal provision, meaning it’s hard to make sure kids get healthy nutritious food.

‘Our pre-packed donation bags will give a much-needed boost of food to FareShare and The Felix Project and Trussell and make a difference to the lives of children and their families, giving them vital support over the school holidays.’

Trussell says that foodbank use remains 45per cent higher than in 2019 before the pandemic.

FareShare and The Felix Project recently merged to become the UK’s leading food redistribution charity, providing good-to-eat surplus food to more than 8,000 charities and community groups – 83per cent of which support families with children.

Tesco continues to support FareShare and The Felix Project and other community groups year-round by redistributing unsold food from all of its South Devon stores as part of its Community Food Connection programme, which provides thousands of meals locally.

Customers can also donate the value of their Clubcard vouchers to either FareShare and The Felix Project or Trussell online.

Matthew van Duyvenbode, Co-CEO at Trussell, said: ‘Tesco’s Easter pre-packed donation bags are such a great way to make it easier for people to support children and families in their local communities.

‘With some children missing out on free school meals and parents facing additional food costs, it makes it even harder to cover the essentials we all need.

‘No-one should face hunger – these extra donations make all the difference to ensure more families can put food on their tables.

‘Tesco has stepped up to help once again. Thank you so much to Tesco customers for playing your part. We are extremely grateful.’

Customers can donate any long-life items but the most-needed items are tinned meat and fish, long life fruit juice, cooking/pasta sauces, tinned vegetables, and tinned and dried soup.

Charlotte Hill, CEO at FareShare and The Felix Project, said: ‘Many of the charities receiving food through our network support families with children.

‘These pre-packed donation bags make it easy for shoppers to donate long-life items that help charities and make a real difference to families in need.’