NOW FRESH APPEAL GOES OUT TO CARRY ON GIVING TO ENSURE 'FAMILIES DO NOT GO HUNGRY'

KIND-HEARTED Co-op customers in Atherstone and district have been "thanked" for playing their part in donating enough food to deliver 30,000 meals to those impacted by coronavirus.

Food banks have received more than 60,000 items from special collection points in all Co-op stores across North Warwickshire and the county at large following an urgent appeal launched by the town's number one retailer last month.

The thousands of items collected by food partners in the area, including local good cause Edible Links, have been turned into food packages and handed out to those most at need during these uncertain times.

Now, food banks are urging local people to carry on giving to ensure everyone from families to schoolchildren do not go hungry – following a doubling of demand while donations have halved.

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 more than 60 food bank partners spread across 16 counties. The retailer has also made significant donations to its partners FareShare Midlands to ensure that the vital work they do in the local community can continue at this time.