AFTER a year of struggling to make ends meet, the chairman of Chard’s foodbank has had his faith in humanity restored by four huge trolley-loads of donations.

The collections were organised by Chard Tesco and saw staff and customers donate food and toys to the Lord’s Larder on Friday last week in their droves.

John White, the chairman of Lord’s Larder, visited Chard Tesco with his wife and Lord’s Larder worker Dot, to collect the generous gifts.

He said: “If you don’t believe in Father Christmas then think again, for what unfolded down at Tesco’s last Friday afternoon restored my faith in the human race and brought with it an infectious air of Christmas spirit that lingered in abundance, all around.

“I never cease to wonder at the generosity of the people of Chard who have steadfastly supported us in our ongoing struggle to help in providing food for our people, who are less fortunate than us, and in many cases for one reason or another find themselves on the fringes of society.

“Since 2009 we have seen demand quadruple and throughout 2016 supply has struggled to make ends meet.

“But incidents like this of spontaneous outpourings of kindness and, extreme generosity, by the staff and customers of Tesco, that Big Store with an even bigger heart, without any form of solicitation, beggars belief, and will make Christmas feel, well, like Christmas should, to so many who would normally do without.

"Alone we can do so little, together we shall prove we can do so much; even the smallest act of caring can turn a life around.”

“Thank you all, for being that rainbow in someone else’s life.

“How beautiful a day can be when kindness such as this touches it. On behalf of The Lord’s Larder, I wish each and every one of you a happy, peaceful Christmas.”

The huge donations were presented by services manager Nicky Halsey, community champion Kay Hollick and customer assistant Jack Jarvis.

Nicky Halsey, the services manager at Chard Tesco, said: “Following very kind donations from their customers, Tesco Stores in Chard proudly present two trollies of food items plus two trollies of toys to John and Dot White from the Town’s Lord’s Larder.

“These donations will be distributed to families in Chard who need that extra support to brighten their Christmas.

“This is just one small way in which Chard Tesco are supporting the community by making a difference. We care.”