Tesco Express stores in the Romford area have given a local charity a reason to smile by donating £250 worth of essential food supplies to S.M.I.L.E London & Essex, a charity dedicated to providing essential items to those in need.
S.M.I.L.E London & Essex runs the Community Food Pantry, which offers a self-service shop to help families access fresh, healthy food at a low cost.
Tesco’s donation will go towards stocking the pantry with a range of essential items to support those who need it most.
Maria Quaife, founder and Chief Executive at S.M.I.L.E London & Essex, said: “Thank you so much for the generous £250 food donation from Tesco. The food will go directly to our community food pantry, which serves over 100 families each week. These families range from those in severe financial crisis, referred to us by local services, to community members looking to reduce their food costs and support our efforts to prevent food waste.”
The food pantry is just one of the many ways S.M.I.L.E London & Essex provides assistance to the local community.
The charity also supports over 26 family hostels across London and Essex, as well as thousands of families in the local community, with a mission to break the cycle of poverty and homelessness and create an inclusive and supportive community.
Carl Aston, Tesco’s local Area Manager said: “It’s great to work for a company that is so committed to supporting the communities in which we operate, and it’s fantastic to be able to support projects like the S.M.I.L.E Community Food Pantry. S.M.I.L.E do brilliant work to support so many families in the local community, and we’re really proud to contribute towards this through our donation of essential food supplies from our Express stores.’
Tesco is committed to supporting the communities it operates in, through its £8 million Stronger Starts grant programme, in partnership with the charity Groundwork UK.
Since Tesco launched its Community Grants programme in 2016, more than £120 million has been given to more than 67,000 local schools and community groups.
