DARRENERS can donate to their local food bank with ease, thanks to a town centre supermarket.

Asda in School Street has a trolley in-store where people can donate non-perishable foods, such as tins and packets of dried food.

Donations will go to the Darwen Food Larder, which has seen demand soar over the past year.

Alison Dixon, community life champion at the store, said the collections had so far been a great success.

She said: “We have been doing this for about six weeks now and have already filled six trolleys.

“A trolley a week is pretty good going, and I want to keep this ongoing for the foreseeable future.

“Shoppers think it is brilliant and we even get people coming in with shopping from other places and putting it in.

“Customers also come in and do a shop then put it all in the trolley.

“We are still in a recession but people still give so generously.”

Alison said she was looking at other ways the store could help those in need in the run-up to Christmas.

She said: “As the festive season approaches we will look at things like donating toys that are in good condition, so children still get presents.”

Darwen Food Larder founder Zilla Griffin said she was delighted at the help.

She said: “We are very grateful to Asda for collecting and to their customers for donating so generously.

“We are seeing a stready growth in the number of people needing to use the Food Larder.

“It can be difficult for them because they have never had such needs before.”