Co-op makes urgent food bank supplies appeal for vulnerable

The retailer is looking to help vulnerable people such as the elderly and those on lower incomes at this difficult time.

The society is launching an urgent food bank appeal to support its charity partners after they reported a major fall in donations at the same time as a spike in demand.

It is also looking to roll out a mass recruitment drive for customer service advisers in many of its stores to ensure communities continue to be served.

Debbie Robinson chief executive of Central England Co-op, said: “As a co-operative retailer, we want to make sure we are leading the way for our communities during this difficult time.

“We are launching an urgent food bank appeal and we are asking people to show their co-operative spirit and donate an item or two so our food bank partners can provide emergency food and support to individuals and families.”

The retailer has also made a donation to boost its partnership with FareShare Midlands, paying for extra transport and staffing costs to make sure that more emergency food packages continue to be delivered.

A dedicated online hub has also been launched to provide regular updates on the society’s response to the coronavirus, exact details on its work to help those in need in the local community and hints and tips for people affected.

Ms Robinson said: “We have also arranged a donation to our food redistribution partners, FareShare Midlands, to pay for extra deliveries of vital food packages across the region.

“We also wanted to say we are working hard with our suppliers to make sure that shelves are regularly re-stocked, as a community retailer we know how important it is for everyone to have access to good quality food and vital essentials.”

The outbreak has led to people panic buying and to stop that from happening Co-op is also putting limits on every product.

Ms Robinson said: “To make sure that there are enough items for everyone, we have placed a temporary limit of two of every product in our stores to help maintain stock levels.

“We are asking our customers and members to be considerate to others at this uncertain time and shop responsibly.

“We hope that these measures and the work of our colleagues, members and customers allows us to come together for our communities during this uncertain time.”

Items needed for the food bank appeal include cereal, tinned food and fruit, tea bags, dried pasta, rice, long-life milk, sugar, biscuits, fruit juice and squash, pasta sauce and instant coffee.

Donations will be collected at Co-op stores and used to create food parcels, which contain around 11 items and will provide at least three days’ worth of meals for those in need.

The temporary roles on offer will include serving customers and replenishing stock.

Three-month rolling contracts are on offer and people must be flexible with shift patterns and locations.

The Co-operative Group has over 5,000 staff in Yorkshire.

Since 2016, the Co-operative Group’s membership in Yorkshire has grown from 817,246 to 1,016,382.

Last year the organisation celebrated its 175th birthday.