A Jewish community centre has been receiving support from Tesco in the form of surplus goods by providing members in need free packages.

Chabad Lubavitch on Epping New Road, Buckhurst Hill, has received weekly food donations thanks to the supermarket chain’s Community Food Connection scheme.

The project which runs in conjunction with food charity FareShare, is an initiative that distributes surplus goods to charities and community groups most in need.

Rabbi Odom Brandman, director of Chabad Lubavitch, said: “We are funded purely from local donations and fundraising events, so the food donations we receive from Tesco help a great deal.

“During the summer for example, we ran a camp for over 100 children and we were lucky to be given nice amounts of fruit from our local Tesco, enabling us to give all the children healthier snacks at their morning break.

“We have always shopped in Tesco anyway, and these donations have helped increase our working relationship which is great.”

Chabad Lubavitch provides a wide range of programmes for over 1,000 families across the district, from parent groups, educational evenings to care home visits and youth events.

The Community Food Connection scheme has now been rolled out to all Tesco stores in the UK, with more than a million meals distributed in London.

David Page, Tesco’s head of community, said: “We know that Community Food Connection is making a real difference to communities in Epping Forest by providing people in need with meals from food that would otherwise go to waste.

“Now that all of our stores are taking part in Community Food Connection there are more opportunities than ever for groups to benefit from the free food provided under the scheme.

“I would invite any group that thinks they could benefit from the scheme to contact FareShare, as we have the capacity to help even more good causes.”

If you are a charity or community group that could benefit from the support of Community Food Connection, visit www.fareshare.org.uk/fareshare-foodcloud to register.