GENEROUS shoppers dug deep to help an emergency food charity collect their largest-ever haul of vital goods at the weekend.

Hammersmith and Fulham Foodbank will celebrate its 2nd birthday in May and has already provided 13,000 meals to borough residents in crisis.

And they held a large-scale collection outside Sainsbury's, in Townmead Road, on Saturday when the generosity of the community left organisers overwhelmed with more than a tonne of food donated.

Shoppers were able to give money or could take a special shopping list into the store and help pick up some much-needed items.

Daphine Aikens, charity manager, said: “We are thrilled. It was a great day and, as usual, people were so generous. We were very busy and had lots of boxes of food by the end of the day.

“A man came to the store with a bag of change to convert but there is no facility for that in the store. In the end, he just donated it to us and it was £150 which was fantastic.

“We gave away a tonne of food in January and are getting busier and busier so it was great to have such a fantastic response.”

The Foodbank operates out of Christ Church, in Studridge Street, two days a week with people given a voucher by their GP, social worker or probation officer to pick up essential supplies.

They are still low on tinned meat, tinned fruit and rice puddings. To donate visit www.hffb.org.