East Devon customers donated thousands of meals to the Tesco Winter Food Collection this year.
They provided vital support for FareShare and The Trussell Trust, donating 3,887 meals from Exmouth, Sidmouth, Budleigh Salterton and Exeter.
Donations deliver much-needed help to Trussell Trust foodbanks which offer emergency food parcels to the financially stretched, while funds support frontline local charities via FareShare.
This winter will be the busiest yet for both organisations as demand increases.
The Trussell Trust predicts it will be distributing a food parcel every eight seconds in the forthcoming three months.
It reported that a record 320,000 people accessed a food bank for the first time from April to September.
FareShare, concurrently, has over 1,500 frontline charities on its waiting list, requiring food aid for those at risk of hunger this winter.
Tesco's CEO, Ken Murphy, praised customers' generosity: "The generosity of our customers is truly amazing.
"At a time when people are facing financial strain, they still went out of their way to support our charity partners."
He commended all those who helped, from individual customers to larger groups, contributing to the Winter Food Collection.
East Devon customers also aided in donating over £300,000 via bill rounding at tills and online donations during the pre-Christmas period.
Additionally, Tesco donates unsold food to FareShare.
In the past year, Tesco and its customers have supplied more than 39 million meals to both charities.
Chief executive at FareShare, George Wright, expressed : "With so many people struggling to afford basic essentials this winter, it’s really uplifting to see that Tesco customers have donated so much food to help people facing hunger in the community."
He explained his gratitude to Tesco and its customers for their invaluable ongoing support.
Echoing this sentiment, Emma Revie, CEO of The Trussell Trust, stated: "People’s generosity never fails to amaze me.
"Communities and Tesco stores across the UK have come together to support their local food banks and ensure that they can be there for everyone who needs them this winter."
East Devon customers can donate food at permanent collection points in every Tesco store in the UK, online, or directly at https://fareshare.donr.com/tesco until February 2024.
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