East Midlands MEP joins supermarket staff for nationwide food collection

Conservative MEP Emma McClarkin joined Tesco staff last Friday at a food collection event at the supermarket in Oakham.

The East Midlands MEP helped out in the same week that new research showed that nearly one in four people (24%) in the East Midlands have skipped meals, gone without food to feed their family or relied on family or friends for food in the last year.

The research was carried out by Tesco, the food bank charity the Trussell Trust and food redistribution charity FareShare, in advance of the biggest ever nationwide food collection in the UK last Friday and Saturday, following a nationwide collection in December last year.

The research shows 70% of families suffering from food poverty with children in primary school education rely in some part on food supplied by schools, either through free school meals or food given out by breakfast or after school clubs.

The National Food Collection, which took place in Tesco stores across the East Midlands, is to help provide much needed food for thousands of people in the area. Miss McClarkin helped out at the event in Oakham, Rutland, and was delighted that Tesco has pledged to top up total donations by a further 30%.

Miss McClarkin said:

“I’m really pleased to have been able to help out today at the food collection here in Oakham, and I would like to thank those customers who donated for their generosity.

“The research that has been published this week shows that there are a lot of people struggling to put meals on the table, and I’m glad that I’ve been able to help in a small way.

“I’m also delighted that Tesco have said that, as with their previous food collection in December last year, they will top up the total donations by another 30%. The food collection is a great event which will really help the least well off in the community.”

Rebecca Shelley, Group Corporate Affairs Director at Tesco said:

“This research reveals that the problem of food poverty in the UK is hitting families hard.

“Because we have stores in so many communities across the UK, we are working with the help of our customers, thousands of our colleagues and volunteers from the Trussell Trust and FareShare to help provide emergency food to people who are struggling.”

Lindsay Boswell, CEO of FareShare said:

“FareShare supports more than 900 frontline charities across the country by providing them with good quality, nutritious food. These charities offer not only a meal, but invaluable support to some of the poorest people in our society.

“Thanks to the generous support of Tesco and their customers, we’ll be able to provide them with even more at a time of urgent need.”

Chris Mould, Chairman of the Trussell Trust said:

“Our foodbanks across the UK are working tirelessly and the Tesco collection will provide vital supplies to help stop families going hungry this summer.”