A supermarket chain is offering free food for those in need.

The Vulnerable Assistance Network is providing surplus food from Tesco to people in Worcestershire to ensure families don’t go hungry.

Volunteers at the charity receive in-date food from the supermarket and make it available to families, free of charge.

Vulnerable Assistance Network is the brainchild of sisters Debbie Deacon and Nicki Pearce, who were inspired to start the charity after seeing many people’s livelihood affected by the pandemic.

Debbie said: “We are very grateful to Tesco for this food. It helps us distribute to as many people as we possibly can. Our volunteers work really hard.

“During the pandemic, so many people were affected, regardless of how well off they were. We don’t discriminate. If people need food, we will provide it for them.”

The Worcestershire charity receives most of its food in donations from the supermarket as part of the Community Food Connection surplus food scheme, which involves local Tesco stores and food surplus redistribution charity FareShare.

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 two million meals each month.

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

Lindsay Boswell, FareShare chief executive, said: “The food that Tesco redistributes through FareShare makes a huge difference to people facing food insecurity across the UK.

“We work with thousands of charities and community groups providing essential support to their communities, and receiving a steady stream of food helps them to feed the people who need it most.”

Claire De Silva, Tesco’s head of community, added: “Working with community groups such as Vulnerable Assistance Network 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.”