Tesco helps combat hunger during school holidays in Ireland
Tesco Ireland has launched the Stronger Starts Summer Food Collection, urging customers to donate non-perishable food items in stores until 8 September
Print16 July 2024
With school holidays in full swing, and school holiday hunger a worrying factor for many Irish families, Tesco Ireland is turning its attention to helping Family Resource Centres, which support families with much-needed household essentials, and preventing children from going hungry this summer.
To give a helping hand to children and families outside of the school term, Tesco has created the Stronger Starts Summer Food Collection in partnership with a network of Family Resource Centres to ensure local communities are supported.
Customers, if they “have a little spare they can share”, are kindly asked to purchase one extra non-perishable food item and donate it to the Food Collection trolley in 115 stores nationwide until 8 September, to support families and neighbours in their local community.
Statistics
The Irish Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC)* index suggests that one-fifth of children in Ireland have gone to bed hungry because of a lack of available food.
In a recent survey with a sample of Family Resource Centres around the country*, all (100%) respondents said they see an increased need for food supports during the summer months and the majority (77%) said there are children within their communities who do not have access to three meals a day.
“We hope that the public will support the Stronger Starts Summer Food Collection by donating a non-perishable food item at the end of their weekly shop,” said Fergal Landy, chief executive officer, Family Resource Centre National Forum.
Community approach
According to Landy, the food support element of the FRC is not just about distributing food; it’s about adopting a community development approach to challenging the underlying structures causing poverty and inequality to create lasting social change impacting on the lives of families and communities facing food insecurity.
“We are extremely proud that our Stronger Starts schools programme has doubled its reach this year and now provides 5,400 children across the country with free, fresh food packs, but we want to go further and ensure that communities are supported throughout the summer months,” said Rosemary Garth, communications director, Tesco Ireland.
Since the Stronger Starts Summer Food Collection launched in stores on 17 June, the top five most donated foods are pasta, cereals, beans/peas, pasta sauces and tinned fish.
The Tesco Ireland Stronger Starts Summer Food Collection is live, in-store only, and runs until 8 September 2024.
For more information, visit here.
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