Central England Co-op thanks customers for supporting its urgent food bank appeal

Kind-hearted customers of Central England Co-op have donated tens of thousands of items to its food bank appeal launched last month.

The retailer with food stores in Terrington St Clement and Dersingham said that across Norfolk and Suffolk, over 60,000 items have been handed in at special collection points in all of its stores.

The donations have provided enough food to deliver 30,000 meals to those impacted by the coronavirus.

However, food banks have said that it is vital people continue to donate items in the coming weeks and months.

Central England Co-op chief executive Debbie Robinson said: “Even in times of uncertainty, our customers and members have shown once again their generosity by donating enough food to ensure that thousands of people can receive vital care packages and cook meals for them and their families.

“On behalf of our food bank partners, we want to say a big thank you to everyone who has supported our food bank campaign but also to ask them to continue to dig deep and keep donating an item or two when they visit our stores.

“If we all continue to work together as a community during this uncertain time we will be able to make sure that nobody goes hungry and everyone gets the vital support they need.”

Items needed for the food bank appeal include cereal, tinned food and fruit, tea bags, dried pasta, rice, long life milk, sugar, biscuits, fruit juice and squash, pasta sauce and instant coffee.

On average, food banks are seeing a 50 per cent fall in donations coupled with a 100 per cent rise in requests for food parcels with new enquiries coming from people who are self isolating, self employed and families who have children that would normally be getting free school meals.

Central England Co-op currently works with over 60 food bank partners spread across 16 counties.