TWO charities are appealing for Southampton volunteers to help with the UK’s biggest food collection for those in need.

Trussell Trust and FareShare, which both aim to fight hunger, are collecting food in Tesco stores in Southampton during an annual Tesco Food Collection, and they are looking for volunteers to encourage shoppers to donate so that as much food as possible can be collected.

During the collection from November 21 to 23, customers are encouraged to donate long-life food to help food banks and community groups support people in need at Christmas, while Tesco will top up customer donations by 20 percent to further support the two charities.

Emma Revie, chief executive at The Trussell Trust, said: “No one should need a food bank at any time of year – but we know during the lead-up to Christmas our network of food banks see even more people needing help.

"Food banks will be doing all they can to provide vital emergency support so that people don’t face hunger this Christmas. But to make sure there are enough donations, we need your support. "Having your support in this year’s Tesco Food Collection will make a real difference – the more people who volunteer, the more food will be collected from generous shoppers, and the better prepared food banks will be to help local people.”

To volunteer, visit https://fareshare.org.uk/tescofoodcollection/.