DONATIONS from customers at the Basildon store of discount retailer QD are helping support The Salvation Army food bank in the town this Christmas.

QD in Basildon introduced a food collection point in its store in Great Oaks earlier this year to collect donations of tinned goods and packaged food for The Salvation Army. With shoppers really taking the scheme into their hearts, QD has just handed over the latest collection, which will go towards the church and charity's food bank this Christmas.

Store manager Kristian Timbrell said: "Demand for food banks has grown considerably over the past 18 months and we're pleased to be doing our bit to support these vital local resources.

"Our customers have been absolutely brilliant in helping us to collect items for The Salvation Army. We had one shopper who recently donated £20 worth of goods as she'd been helped by the church and charity of The Salvation Army in the past and wanted to repay them. With Christmas just around the corner, we are inviting anyone who can pop an extra tin, jar or packet into their shopping basket to donate it towards our food bank collection."

Basildon Salvation Army captain Paul Williams said: "We are really grateful to work in partnership with QD and its customers. We have experienced an increase in demand so this initiative has come at the right time. Alongside the distribution of food parcels, we offer an employment and benefit advice service. We strive to take a holistic approach to supporting people out of food poverty."

QD's food bank collections were launched across the entire QD Group as part of its Value Our Planet strategy, a commitment to being a responsible retailer, caring for the environment and world in which we live.

To make a donation for the Salvation Army, drop off the item at the food bank collection point inside QD Basildon, Great Oaks House, Great Oaks, Basildon, SS14 1GB. Items desperately needed for The Salvation Army food bank include cartons of UHT milk, tins or cartons of custard and tins of fruit, potatoes and other vegetables.