Tesco stores in Warrington are taking part in the supermarket's annual Winter Food Collection, with donated items going directly to the charities Trussell and FareShare.

As part of the collection, pre-packed donation bags are being made available at Tesco stores for customers to purchase.

As well as all large stores, which offer them as standard during the collection period, 86 Express Stores are stocking the bags this year too.

The goal is to exceed the "two million meals" reportedly donated for last year's collection.

Bags "typically cost" between £2 and £4, are pre-filled with long-life items, and can be picked up by Warrington customers in store and paid for at the checkout.

Trussell and FareShare will receive the bags and distribute them on to charities and food banks.

Trussell's 'The Cost of Hunger and Hardship' report, published in October, calculated that "9.3 million people face hunger and hardship across the UK"; the report is available to read at https://trusselltrustprod.prod.acquia-sites.com/sites/default/files/2024-10/Cost%20of%20Hunger%20and%20Hardship_Interim%20report.pdf

FareShare's annual impact report, meanwhile, is available to read at https://fareshare.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Impact-report-2024-condensed.pdf

The Winter Food Collection runs in Express stores from November 25 to 30 this year, and in large stores from November 28 to 30.

Ken Murphy, Tesco Group CEO, said: "Our partners tell us they’ve seen even more families needing their help and they expect demand to increase this winter, so we’re encouraging Warrington customers to donate whatever they can to our Winter Food Collection.

"With frontline charities and foodbanks facing exceptionally high demand this year, pre-packed donation bags make it easy to make a big difference to someone else’s Christmas."

For those wishing to donate their own items, the most-needed items according to FareShare and Trussell are UHT & powered 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 & porridge; and tea and coffee.