WHEN Tesco Ireland made a donation of a van load of festive goodies for the people living in their family hub in Limerick City, they went a step further by donating the van as well.
The former home delivery van has integrated refrigeration units, a freezer and cupboard compartments that will enable Mid West Simon to store food until it can be donated to people in need or distributed to charity partners across Limerick, Clare and North Tipperary.
And that’s not forgetting the van’s contents which included toys, turkeys, hams and all the trimmings for a festive feast.
“We are absolutely thrilled to accept this generous donation from Tesco this Christmas” said Mid West Simon chief executive Jackie Bonfield.
“Since we launched our services in 2014, we have grown exponentially and we now support 7,000 people regularly through our services. Tesco has been with us since the start.
“The surplus food donations that we receive each week from the local Tesco stores make all the difference in the level of service we can provide to those who need it the most. With this new delivery van, we will also be able to cater for more people,” she added.
Over the past year, Mid West Simon has seen a 30 per cent increase in the need for their Food Bank services. The charity also provides family and housing services and drop-in services for people who need professional advice, basic supplies, or somebody to talk to.
“We are delighted to be able to help Mid West Simon this Christmas, along with several other organisations who make a difference in their local communities,” said Tesco Coonagh store manager Joe Rooney .
“We have been working with Mid West Simon since 2014 and have donated more than 100,000 meals worth of surplus food to them. We hope that we have been able to make a little Christmas magic for the organisation today and we look forward to working with them further in 2018”.
Tesco stores in Kilrush, Ennis, Coonagh and Roxboro have given surplus food to Mid West Simon several times a week as part of their ‘No Time for Waste’ programme. Tesco was also the first retailer to launch a nationwide surplus food donations programme with Food Cloud.
They are now calling on community groups who could benefit from surplus food donations to register here
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