Food banks across the south are to receive donations totalling £30,000 thanks to Southern Co-op members scanning their cards as they shopped, including shoppers at the Berrow store.
Membership cards were scanned on nearly 300,000 separate occasions which the independent co-operative is converting to 10p per swipe and rounding up to £500 per food bank.
All of the food banks receiving donations are currently supported by collection points in stores as customers generously donate a range of products to those in need of a helping hand.
Gemma Lacey, Southern Co-op’s Director of Sustainability and Communications, said: “We’d hoped that this campaign would bring together our members and engage them in a concerted effort to target food poverty and make a difference to so many local food banks.”
“Not only does this demonstrate that there is power in co-operatives and our members, but it also shows that our members care about their local communities and small gestures go a long way.”
Between April 2020 and March 2021 food banks in the Trussell Trust network gave out 2.5million emergency food parcels across the UK. Many of these will have been supported by food donated by people in their local communities.
Through financial donations, goods donations, volunteering and drop off points in 97 retail stores and funeral branches, Southern Co-op colleagues currently support 60 local community food banks.
The December membership and community campaign ran from 1 to 31 December with 10p donated from all Southern Co-op member transactions with no minimum spend.
Southern Co-op has more than 200 Co-operative Food stores across the south of England , including one in Berrow.
