VULNERABLE people in the Somer Valley are receiving free supplies from Tesco stores thanks to the work of a charity in Peasedown St John.

Hive Community Centre collects free surplus food from stores and makes it available to people in Peasedown St John and the surrounding area.

The charity receives food as part of the Community Food Connection surplus food scheme, which involves local Tesco stores and food surplus redistribution charity FareShare.

Food is either distributed to the members of the Pantry, a low-cost food club, or made available to the whole community via the community fridge.

Jill Souter, one of the management team at the Hive Community Centre, which has been running for four years, said: “We’re really grateful to Tesco for the food we receive from them. It makes such a difference to local people.

“We get on really well with the staff at Tesco’s village store, who are always pleased to help and contact us if they suddenly have an excess of food that they cannot sell.

“More than 100 residents benefit from our Pantry. They say it’s life-changing for them. We have 12 volunteers at the Pantry, all working so hard to help those in our community.”

The Community Food Connection scheme ensures that surplus food from Tesco is given to charities and community groups, whose volunteer members then distribute it to the public. Across the UK it redistributes 2 million meals each month.

Claire De Silva, Tesco’s head of community, said: “Working with community groups such as Hive Community Centre to help them get the food they need is such an important service for us to be able to provide.

“The dedication they have to their community is amazing, and we are pleased to do what we can to support.

“We firmly believe no good food should go to waste, which is why we began our Community Food Connection scheme. It enables us to ensure our surplus food is put to good use in communities.”

FareShare is the UK’s biggest charity fighting hunger and food waste. Two-thirds of the organisations it provides food to support children and families.

Katie Sadler, head of FareShare Go, said: “The food that Tesco redistributes through FareShare is a lifeline for thousands of charities nationwide, enabling them to feed countless individuals within their communities.

“This consistent food supply empowers charities to not only provide essential meals but also to sustain vital support services for local people.”

Tesco’s Community Food Connection, delivered in partnership with food redistribution charity FareShare, has delivered more than 300-million meals worth of surplus food to thousands of frontline charities and community groups across the UK.

FareShare is the UK’s leading food redistribution charity, taking food, that would otherwise go to waste and ensuring it reaches people in need via their network of regional partners.

The food used in this service is of a good quality, but can no longer be sold in stores for a number of reasons, such as damaged packaging or a short shelf life.