SWINDON shoppers who popped into Tesco helped donate thousands of meals to children living in poverty.

Over the last three weeks, the supermarket chain has given a donation to FareShare' Buy One to Help a Child scheme for every vegetable and piece of fruit bought in all of its stores.

FareShare will now redistribute the cash to children's charities and community groups around the country.

Sales of stacks of strawberries, a bounty of bananas and container-loads of cucumbers purchased by Tesco customers mean that more than 5,000 charities will now be given food to help the 2.3 million children in the UK living in food insecurity.

Tesco exceeded its target of providing three million meals’ worth of food

Cucumbers were the most popular item sold on a Monday throughout the collection, with strawberries winning in popularity on Tuesday and Wednesdays.

Tesco has been working with FareShare since 2016 and so far has redistributed more than 120 million meals of food to charities and community groups across the UK.

FareShare supports frontline charities and community groups working with children – from summer holiday clubs and breakfast clubs to community kitchens and groups that supply food parcels to those facing food insecurity.

CEO Lindsay Boswell CBE said: “During the summer months, many families can struggle without the safety net of free school meals. We work with a network of around 10,500 charities and community groups supporting children and families across the UK.

"With so many more people facing tough circumstances as a result of the pandemic, this food is needed more than ever.

“Thank you to every single Tesco customer in Swindon who made a purchase during this campaign. Through the simple act of buying your fruit and veg at Tesco, you’re helping FareShare to get fresh, healthy food to children across the UK.”

Tesco UK and ROI CEO Jason Tarry said: “We wanted to find a really simple way to do our bit and help our customers do the same, and we are delighted at the success of the Buy One to Help A Child scheme. By encouraging healthier choices for our customers while helping to feed children through our partnership with FareShare, we can play our part in supporting stronger communities.”

Tesco is a member of the Child Poverty Task Force, formed by Marcus Rashford, and continues to support his campaign for free school meals for every child that needs them, at any time.