Food banks in the south are set to receive donations totaling £30,000 thanks to Southern Co-op members scanning their cards while shopping, including shoppers at the Berrow store.
Membership cards have been scanned on nearly 300,000 different occasions, which the independent co-op converts to 10p per swipe, rounding up to £500 per panel.
All food banks that receive donations are currently supported through in-store collection points as customers generously donate a range of products to those in need.
Gemma Lacey, Director of Sustainability and Communications at Southern Co-op said: “We had hoped this campaign would bring our members together and engage them in a concerted effort to tackle food poverty and make a difference for so many local food banks . ”
“Not only does this show that cooperatives and our members have power, but it also shows that our members care about their local communities and that small gestures make a big difference.”
Between April 2020 and March 2021, food banks in the Trussell Trust network distributed 2.5 million emergency food parcels across the UK. Many of them are supported by food donated by people in their local communities.
Southern Co-op colleagues currently support 60 local community boards through donations of money, donations of goods, volunteer work and drop-off points at 97 retail locations and funeral homes.
The December Membership and Community Campaign ran from December 1st to December 31st with 10p donated by all Southern Co-op member transactions with no minimum spend.
Southern Co-op has over 200 Co-operative Food Stores across southern England including one in Berrow.