DESPITE a year which has seen the UK in the grip of the cost-of-living crisis, Tesco shoppers in Powys have been at their most generous in support of foodbanks and local charities.

Tesco customers donated more than 2.4 million meals during the Tesco Food Collection at the beginning of December, with more than 55,000 of those meals donated coming from shoppers in Powys.

Llandrindod Wells’ Waterloo Road store led the way; customers using the store donated 22,191 meals to the Llandrindod Foodbank

In Welshpool, shoppers donated 13,013 meals to the Welshpool and District Foodbank. At Newtown’s Cattle Market store, shoppers donated a total of 8,676 meals, also to the Welshpool and District Foodbank. Meanwhile, in Ystradgynlais, 12,230 meals were donated to charity.

The total meals donated throughout Powys amounted to a superb 56,110 combined. “Each store played a massive part in achieving this new record – helping many of the residents over this turbulent year,” said a Tesco spokesperson.

The total amount of food donated by Tesco shoppers to the Trussell Trust and FareShare during 2022 was equivalent of 12.5 million meals.

The donations to the Trussell Trust help food banks to provide emergency food parcels to people in crisis, while donations to FareShare support thousands of frontline local charities in communities across the country.

Tesco has also topped up all customer donations during the collection by 20 per cent in cash, to support the two charities with their operating costs and ensure the food can get to where it is most needed.

Tesco UK and Northern Ireland CEO Jason Tarry attributed the rise in donations – with donations to the Food Collection alone up 53 per cent on last year – to both the incredible generosity of customers, and the supermarket’s work to make it easier for them to donate.

“Our customers have always amazed us with their generosity, this year more than ever,” he said. “We know that household budgets are very stretched, but our customers have been incredible. We had people donating whole trollies of food at our recent Tesco Food Collection, and it is genuinely heart-warming to see so much kindness.

“The fact that we now have collection points in every store has made it easier than ever for customers to donate and those donations are really needed.”

In addition to the donations of food, the pre-Christmas Tesco Food Collection saw customers donate more than £382,000 to the charities by rounding up their bills at the till, donate £133,000 through a link from Tesco’s online groceries website and give more than £19,000 of Tesco Clubcard vouchers, which Tesco has matched. A further £20,000 was donated to the charities as a result of Tesco’s Give Back Express pop-up shop in London.

Tesco also donates its unsold food to FareShare and, including those donations, more than 39 million meals have been provided to both of the charities by Tesco and its customers in the past year.

Lindsay Boswell, chief executive at FareShare, said: “We want to say an enormous thank you to Tesco, and every single person that volunteered and donated across the year and at the Winter Food Collection.

“Our charities have told us how difficult things have become as a result of the cost of living crisis. The support we have seen from people at the collections and throughout 2022, in both time and donations, will help FareShare to continue getting much needed food to the people that need it most this winter.”

With both charities continuing to need support, Tesco shoppers can continue to make donations at permanent collection points at every Tesco store in Powys.