Generous shoppers have been making a difference in Barnet after donating more than 5,500 meals during a recent Asda food drive.

Asda Colindale customers have helped provide food by adding much-needed items to the collection trolleys, helping food banks who have experienced a significant rise in need since the start of the pandemic.

Since Fight Hunger Create Change was created in 2018, Asda and its customers have been able to support more than one million people by providing fresh food and access to support services to help people in crisis get out of the situation they find themselves in.

Kloe Tegg, Asda Fight Hunger Create Change Manager said: “We are always amazed by the generosity of our customers in donating to what is a really important cause, not just during the food drive but throughout the year.

“Food drives are a vital part of our Fight Hunger Create Change mission to end hunger and these donations will make a huge difference to people in Barnet.”

Through the £25 million donation Asda has made to its charity partners over the past three years, £5.7 million has been granted to food banks in the Trussell Trust’s network to provide services such as finance and debt advice.

Last year, food banks in the Trussell Trust network provided 2.5 million emergency food parcels with almost a million of these for children.

Zoe Pate, Senior Food Partnerships Manager at the Trussell Trust said: "We're overwhelmed by the generosity of Asda customers and are incredibly grateful for their support during the food drive. Thanks to their generous donations, food banks in our network have been able to continue to provide emergency food and additional support to people unable to afford the essentials.

"Asda’s support has also allowed us to keep working towards a UK where people don’t need to turn to a food bank for food, where everyone has enough money to afford the essentials. We are proud to work together with Asda and its customers to achieve our goal of a hunger free future.”