TESCO customers can pick up an extra bag to put through the checkout this Easter to support families facing financial difficulties during the school holidays.
The popular donation bags pre-packed with healthy, long-life food items will be available in every large Tesco store across the UK over the Easter break (April to 20) to make donating the most-needed items easier.
Claire De Silva, Head of Communities at Tesco, said: “With the lack of free school meal provision during the holidays we know that families find it difficult to make ends meet and give their kids nutritious meals.
“Our pre-packed donation bags will give a much needed top up to FareShare and Trussell and make a difference to the lives of thousands of children and their families.”
The Easter Holiday Helps scheme is part of Tesco’s year-round support for schoolchildren as part of Tesco’s Stronger Starts campaign.
This includes the Fruit and Veg for Schools programme which helps over 400 schools with the highest rates of free school meals by offering grants for purchasing fruit and vegetables from Tesco stores.
The scheme helps children to get healthier snack choices and lunch options while they’re at school.
Trussell’s food banks support families year-round – with nearly two-thirds of all their support last year provided to families with children. In 2024, they distributed more than 3.1 million emergency food parcels to people facing hardship – this is an increase of 94 per cent over the past five years. More than 1.1 million of these parcels were for children.
FareShare is the UK’s largest food redistribution charity, providing good-to-eat surplus food to a wide range of charities and community groups across the UK – three quarters of which support families with children. FareShare’s most recent impact report shows that the food they supply helps children get access to nutritious meals, and two in three parents said their children’s performance in school improved as a result.
Tesco continues to support FareShare and other community groups year-round by redistributing unsold food from all its stores as part of its Community Food Connection programme, which to date has provided more than 220 million meals. Customers can also donate the value of their Clubcard vouchers to either FareShare or Trussell online.
Emma Revie, CEO at Trussell, said: “Tesco’s support this Easter will make a real difference to families across the UK.”
Kris Gibbon-Walsh, Chief Executive at FareShare, said: Any donations from Tesco customers this Easter will enable us to continue getting good food to charities supporting and bringing people together around food, helping to strengthen communities and change lives.”
Launched in 2023, Tesco Stronger Starts is a £8m grant programme, in partnership with Groundwork UK, that boosts funds for extra food and activity equipment to give children across the UK a stronger start in life.
The grants help schools, children’s groups and wider community projects provide nutritious food and healthy activities that support young people’s physical health and mental wellbeing, such as breakfast clubs or snacks, and equipment for healthy activities.
