Dozens of good causes across the south have been awarded a co-operative grant to help their work.
The cash is set to benefit thousands of families across Berkshire, Dorset, Hampshire, Kent, London, Somerset, Surrey, Sussex and Wiltshire.
Southern Co-op launched its Feed a Family Fund in November to support local food banks purchase essential equipment or cover running costs.
Holly Bramble, community and campaign co-ordinator at Southern Co-op said: "As people start to focus on the future and coming out of Covid-19, our community causes are still there for us and the stark reality is that the immediate demand for help is still very real.
"We're glad that our Feed a Family Fund helped in so many ways but we also need to keep donating what we can at our local food bank collection points. Every tin makes a difference."
A total of £7,000 has been raised and distributed to 35 local causes via the online platform Neighbourly.
It’s estimated that nearly 5,000 people will have directly benefited from the grants which have helped to buy three freezers, support school meal programmes, aid with transportation, supplement costs for packaging, and buy additional food items to bolster donations.
There are currently 75 Co-op stores with food bank collection points in the region.
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