Generous shoppers across borough help feed the needy (From Basingstoke Gazette)
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FareShare's Million Meal appeal
1:10pm Thursday 18th October 2012 in News By Adam Richards
Generous shoppers across borough help feed the needy
GENEROUS Basingstoke shoppers helped supermarket chain Sainsbury’s to collect ingredients for more than a million meals for needy people across the country.
Stores in Tadley, Basingstoke town centre, and at Hatch Warren took part in national charity FareShare’s Million Meal appeal.
The shops set up boxes for shoppers to drop off tinned food, pasta, rice, tea, and coffee, during a two-day collection.
The thousands of items collected in Basingstoke will be pooled and distributed by FareShare to projects helping people who struggle to put food on the table.
Basingstoke MP Maria Miller visited Sainsbury’s, in Hatch Warren, to support the campaign. “It is really important to support companies that are supporting the community,” she said. “I know from talking to various groups supporting families in Basingstoke that having food support can make all the difference.”
Organising the collection was the store’s PR ambassador Holly Payne. She said the appeal had received a lot of attention from shoppers. “There has been a lot of interest and we have had a lot of support from customers,” said Holly. “It’s nice for people to be able to donate something other than money – I think it is a brilliant cause.”
Nationally, more than 900 Sainbury’s stores took part in the Million Meal Appeal. Last year, 600 stores took part and collected enough food for 1.2million meals.
