For several years now I’ve gone to a local Tesco store in the run-up to Christmas to help volunteers collect food donated by customers for FairShare. This is all distributed by FairShare to our local food banks.
Every year I’ve heard staff talk about a guy who turns up, fills ten trolleys with much needed food, and then leaves it for ecstatic volunteers. Last year I missed him by half an hour, and very fed up I was too because I’ve always wanted to meet him.
Well this weekend I was back at Tesco working with volunteers, handing out leaflets to customers on the way in and collecting donations on their way out, when I started telling them how much I want to meet this chap who donates ten trolleys and asking them if he’s been in yet.
Now I realise you may not believe me because this sounds too good to be true, but just as I was talking about him he turned up! A volunteer said, ‘Peter stop talking he’s standing behind you!!’.
So I am over the moon to present Robert to you, my Christmas hero! He lives locally and runs a building company and was so moved by the plight of people needing to use food banks he quietly did what he could in the run up to Christmas. This year he had his grandson in tow to help him out.
So thank you Robert, and I’m sorry for making you pose for a photo with me and embarrassing you with this post, but some good turns deserve to be shared! Meeting Robert made my day but I can tell you he will also make many people’s Christmas too as his extraordinary kindness will be put to good use across our city’s food banks. Yours, Peter