SHOPPERS in Darwen town centre are being urged to ‘Give a Tin’ today and tomorrow.

Darwen Market has launched the collection of foods to be donated to town charity the Darwen Food Larder.

It comes as the Lancashire Telegraph is in the middle of the ‘Back Our Foodbanks’ campaign to support foodbanks across the region.

Markets manager Gwen Sangster said: “The Darwen Food Larder gives the food to the needy people in the Darwen area and they desperately do need it.

“We are appealing for donations of things like packets of cereal, rice, pasta, soups, mashed potatoes, tea bags, sugar, bread, biscuits, cartons of milk, and anything with a long shelf life.

“They also need tins of vegetables, potatoes, fruit, baked beans, spaghetti, minced beef, or anything that can make a meal for a family or a single person.

“Their stocks are getting very low and we would really like to help them.”

Last week Asda, in School Street, held a collection for the Blackburn Food Bank.

But bosses at the store said they had plans in place to support the Darwen Food Larder in the future.

Kirsty Entwistle, service section leader, said: “We are hoping to work with the Darwen Food Larder to put something in place to support them permanently.

“Our customers are very aware of the need for foodbanks and have been commenting on the need to support our local foodbank in Darwen.

“It is sad that people need foodbanks but the work they are doing is wonderful.

“We are really happy to be supporting them.”

The Darwen Food Larder gives food parcels to poverty-stricken families who find themselves unable to feed themselves.

Founder Zillah Griffin has reported a huge increase in the number of referrals over the past two years.