Free food from Tesco stores have been distributed to residents across Worcestershire thanks to the donations of surplus food.

Pershore Community Cupboard, established in April 2020 by Jane Keen-Smith, supplies people with free, nutritious parcels courtesy of the supermarket.

Located between Evesham and Worcester, the project is working to ensure that struggling families in the area do not go hungry.

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Read more: Herefordshire and Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust responds

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The charity accepts food donations from individuals, organisations, and businesses, with a significant portion coming through the Community Food Connection surplus food scheme.

The initiative is a collaboration between Tesco stores and nationwide food distribution charity FareShare.

The efforts of the charity to curb food waste has made a significant impact on communities in the last year, providing over 8,000 baskets of food and essentials in 2023, marking a five per cent increase from the previous year.

The charity also partners with multiple community establishments, including three Pershore primary schools, delivering food to preschool children and families in need.

Richard Tisdall, a volunteer and part of the admin team at Pershore Community Cupboard, said: "It is with immense gratitude that we are again able to thank all who have helped our charity over this past year.

"Thank you to all the volunteers without whom the cupboard could simply not operate."

Claire De Silva, Tesco’s head of community, said: "Working with community groups such as Pershore Community Cupboard to help them get the food they need is such an important service for us to be able to provide.

"The dedication they have to their community is amazing, and we are pleased to do what we can to support."

Katie Sadler, Head of FareShare Go, said: "We work with thousands of charities and community groups providing essential support to their communities, and receiving a steady stream of food helps them to feed the people who need it most.”

FareShare, which provides two-thirds of its food to charities supporting children and families, can be contacted for assistance by organisations wanting to join the Community Food Connection scheme.

Pershore Community Cupboard, located at Broad Street's Pershore Baptist Church, is open daily.

More information can be found via its website or Facebook page.