Tesco grant helps to provide support for vulnerable Plymouth people.

A charity that supports Plymouth people experiencing food poverty is celebrating this week after receiving a much-needed grant.

For the past two years FareShare South West’s Plymouth warehouse has received free surplus food from organisations such as Tesco and made it available to local people to ensure that families don’t go without.

However, with the cost-of-living crisis affecting more people, the need for FareShare South West’s support is increasing.

In the past year 31 different Plymouth charities, schools and community groups have received more than 241 tonnes of food – enough for 575,000 meals.

Because of this, FareShare South West applied for funding from Tesco’s Stronger Starts scheme, which awards grants to charities and community organisations that make a positive difference in the lives of local people. The charity’s application was successful, earning it a £1,500 grant.

Lucy Bearn, Chief Executive at FareShare South West, said: “We are very grateful to Tesco for this funding. In recent years, FareShare South West has grown 500% in response to the demand from the pandemic and cost-of-living crisis, so support from Tesco Stronger Starts grants have been essential.

“We support Plymouth organisations such as school breakfast clubs, community kitchens and homeless shelters, which provide wraparound support for people struggling to get by.

“With healthy food now over three times more expensive per calorie than unhealthy food, many families are unable to access enough fresh, nutritious ingredients to truly thrive.

“At the same time six million tonnes of perfectly good, quality food are still being sent to waste in the UK every year, creating huge environmental impact.

“We source tonnes of good-to-eat surplus food from the industry and share it with over 400 charities, schools and community groups who alleviate poverty. Put simply, we turn an environmental problem into a social solution.”

The Stronger Starts scheme, in partnership with the Groundwork charity, aims to support many Plymouth community projects and good causes in the coming years, with thousands of pounds to give away.

Claire De Silva, Head of Community at Tesco, said: “We’re delighted that we can help groups and charities like FareShare South West. Stronger Starts invites our customers to use their blue tokens to vote for local schemes they feel will benefit children and young people, and it’s so good to see the impact that the funding makes.”

Plymouth shoppers can support their local school and children’s groups by dropping the Tesco blue token they receive at checkout into the relevant voting box as they leave the store.

For further information about Stronger Starts is available at https://tescostrongerstarts.org.uk