Dudley rehabilitation centre offers out food with help from Tesco

Dudley-based recovery centre, Change Grow Live (CGL) Atlantic, is providing more food for people living with substance abuse problems thanks to surplus food donations from Tesco.

The centre provides rehabilitation and inpatient detoxification services through a range of recovery activities including dual diagnosis support (for people who suffer with substance and mental health problems), employment provision and assistance with access to housing.

The group has been signed up to Tesco’s food surplus scheme, Community Food Connection, since 2017 and collects donations such as bread, fruit and vegetables most days from Tesco Stourbridge. 

The scheme is run in conjunction with food charity FareShare, using an app to link regional groups to local Tesco stores which then alerts charities to any surplus food available for collection at the end of each day.

Centre manager Paul Downton said:

“The centre provides a safe space for people to come when they are at their most vulnerable, where they can get help and support with everything from substance abuse recovery to finding a place to live.

“We’re hoping to raise enough money to buy a fridge-freezer so we’re able to store fresh food for longer.

“The donations we receive through Community Food Connection mean we’re able to support more vulnerable people in Dudley who would otherwise struggle to feed themselves.”

Nicki MacKay, Community Food Connection Manager for Tesco, added:

“Food should never be thrown away when there are local people who need it.

“We’re keen to hear from any charities which could benefit from this programme and would encourage any interested groups to get in touch with their local store.”

Community Food Connection is now the UK’s biggest supermarket food redistribution programme. Charities and local groups nationwide are able to participate in the scheme which has helped provide 40 million meals to more than 7,000 groups to date.