A children's charity has teamed up with Tesco to supply vulnerable young people with free food supplies.
With the help of community retailers and farmers, Evesham Adventure Playground prepares, cooks and offers free meals to children in need.
The charity reported that in 2022 alone, they handled over 22 tonnes of surplus food through its Community Pantry.
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In addition to tackling food poverty, the playground also provides a safe and stimulating environment for young children and families.
It offers an array of educational, training and therapeutic activities designed to enhance self-esteem and self-confidence.
The playground's work is facilitated through the Community Food Connection surplus food scheme, which includes Tesco and FareShare, a food waste and hunger alleviation charity.
The scheme is responsible for the redistribution of surplus food from Tesco stores to charities and community groups, who then distribute it to the public.
Nationally, this initiative redistributes 2 million meals every month.
Pat, aged 74 and a volunteer at the playground for close to four decades, said: "Working in this community for nearly 40 years, we believe that all people should lead safe and happy lives.
"We want to thank Tesco and others for their generosity."
Claire De Silva, Tesco head of community, said: "Working with community groups such as Evesham Adventure Playground to help them get the food they need is such an important service for us to be able to provide.
"We firmly believe no good food should go to waste, which is why we began our Community Food Connection scheme."
FareShare, also part of the initiative, is the UK’s largest charity fighting hunger and food waste.
Two-thirds of the organisations to which FareShare provides food support children and families.
Katie Sadler, head of FareShare Go, added: "The food that Tesco redistributes through FareShare makes a huge difference to people facing food insecurity across the UK."
Charities and community groups interested in the scheme can find more information on the FareShare website.
To learn more about the Evesham Adventure Playground, visit its official website (https://www.eveshamadventureplayground.org/).
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