THOUSANDS of meals were provided to people in need this Christmas thanks to customer donations at Tesco stores in Ealing.

Across the UK, a total of three million meals worth of food has been donated to charities FareShare and The Trussell Trust thanks to the collection that ran in Tesco stores until December 2.

Shoppers were asked to donate long-life items to help people in need as part of their usual shop, while Tesco topped up the value of the donations by 20%.

In Ealing, a total of 6,046 meals were donated by generous customers at Tesco stores.

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Goods donated to food banks in The Trussell Trust’s network are given out in emergency food parcels to people referred because they cannot afford to feed themselves and their families.

Food donated to FareShare is distributed to charities and community groups, who use it to provide meals for vulnerable groups, such as isolated older people and those in homeless shelters.

Tesco’s Head of Community, Alec Brown, said: “Every year we are taken aback by the generosity of customers who give to the collection in our stores across the UK.

“We know this annual collection makes a real difference in Ealing and we would like to thank everyone who has donated, volunteered or helped with the collection in store.”