Volunteers are needed for Tesco’s foodbank collections.

Food redistribution charities Fareshare and Trussell Trust are appealing for volunteers in Harrow to encourage as many people as possible to donate food to Tesco stores from November 21 to November 23.

During the collection, customers are encouraged to donate long-life food to help food banks and community groups support people in need at Christmas. Tesco will top up customer donations by 20 per cent to further support the two charities in their work.

Chonde Nkowoni, the Harrow food bank manager, said: “No one should need a food bank at any time of the year- but we know during the lead up to Christmas even more people in Harrow need help. We’re not alone – food banks across the Trussell Trust’s network see the same thing.

“Our volunteers will be doing all they can to help, but food banks like ours need your donations to make sure emergency food is there for anyone who needs it.

“In the past, the staggering generosity of the public, store colleagues and volunteers has made a real difference. We would love to have your support once again – your donations will help stop hunger this Christmas.”

Last year, the foodbank in Harrow collected 72 boxes of food, 828 kg of food and 2,000 meals. In total, 3.5million meals were collected as part of the Tesco Food Collection, with more than 50million meals donated since the launch in 2012.

Fareshare also managed to save 20,838 tonnes of food from waste and provided enough food for 46.5million meals.

Emma Revie, chief executive at The Trussell Trust, said: “No one should need a food bank at any time of year – but we know during the lead-up to Christmas, our network of food banks sees even more people needing help.

“Food banks will be doing all they can to provide vital emergency support, so people don’t face hunger this Christmas.

“But to make sure there are enough donations, we need your support. Having your support in this year’s Tesco Food Collection will make a real difference – the more people who volunteer, the more food will be collected from generous shoppers, and the better prepared food banks will be to help local people.”

People interested in volunteering can find out more and sign up at the Fareshare food collection page.