KIND-HEARTED shoppers have donated more than 4,000 meals to help feed those in need.

They donated vital store cupboard essential foods, such as rice, tea, tinned meat and fish and UHT milk to food distribution charity FareShare for Tesco’s Summer Neighbourhood Food Collection.

The bi-annual food collection runs in all Tesco stores across the country, including two in Bolton, to benefit local charities.

The people of Bolton donated 4,117 meals and the food collected in store helped contribute towards the estimated total of 2.78 million meals collected by all Tesco stores.

John McEwan, store manager at Tesco Farnworth, said: “We’re over the moon with the huge number of food donations we’ve had in the stores, resulting in such an amazing number of meals to give to those in need. It really demonstrates the generosity of the people of Bolton.

“Thank you for once again supporting us, and making this collection so successful.”

Now in its fifth year, the Neighbourhood Food Collection is run in partnership with Tesco, FareShare and The Trussell Trust. It is held twice a year in all Tesco stores, once in summer and once in the winter.

Tesco will financially top up donations made to the collection by 20 per cent.

For more information about the Neighbourhood Food Collection go to tesco.com/food-collection