Two food bank charities have appealed to Worcester shoppers as they face record levels of demand this festive season.

FareShare and the Trussell Trust require help to provide essential food for many in Worcester who find themselves struggling through what may be the most challenging winter in many years.

Shoppers in Worcester can lend their support by donating to Tesco's Food Collection.

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The supermarket chain will be accepting donations of long-life food items in Express stores until Saturday (December 2) and superstores in St Peter's and Warndon began accepting contributions yesterday (November 30), and will continue to do so until Saturday (December 2).

The charities are specifically requesting donations of UHT & powdered milk, tinned meat and fish, sponge/rice pudding, long-life fruit juice, cooking/pasta sauces, tinned vegetables, tinned and dried soup, pasta, rice and noodles, cereal and porridge, tea, and coffee.

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Ken Murphy, Tesco Group CEO, said: "Over the last 10 years our generous customers have helped donate over 100 million meals to communities across the UK.

"Whether it’s in your local store through the Winter Food Collection or via your Clubcard points online, even the smallest donation can make a real difference to someone else’s Christmas."

As we move further into winter, both charities predict increased demand, with The Trussell Trust anticipating distributing over one million emergency food parcels between December and February.

In the past six months as many as 320,000 individuals nationwide have needed to access a food bank for the first time.

Meanwhile, FareShare anticipates redistributing 28,000 tonnes of food this winter, equating to over 68 million meals—an increase of 42% from the previous year.

In the build up to the Food Collection, Tesco and its charity partners constructed an alternative to Trafalgar Square's Christmas tree in London, located in its namesake in Scarborough, to raise awareness of the items that need donating to stores.

The tree is made from the items that the charities need the most, such as tinned fruit and vegetables, long life milk and cooking sauces, which will all be donated to FareShare's hub in the area when it is taken down.