Clients of Newmarket Open Door set to enjoy a tasty Christmas thanks to Tesco

Clients of a Newmarket homeless charity are set to enjoy a tasty Christmas thanks to donations of surplus food from Tesco.

The company has donated more than a quarter of a million meals to charities and community groups by Tesco over the festive period through its Community Food Connection scheme, which distributes surplus food from its stores at the end of the day in conjunction with leading food charity FareShare.

One of the groups that benefited from donations was Newmarket Open Door, which provides care, support and accommodation services in the town which support people with a wide range of needs, including mental health issues and homelessness.

Thanks to the scheme, the 19 residents were able to work together to prepare their evening meals, which provided much-needed company at what can be a difficult time for some people.

John Durrant, who manages the scheme, said: “Many of our guests don’t have a family, so for them the run up to Christmas can be a particularly difficult time of year. The food donations from Tesco not only provided a hot meal to local people in crisis, but also gave us the opportunity to get together and enjoy a communal meal.

“The food donations from Tesco offered a lifeline to multiple people in unpredictable circumstances.”