Morrisons is to deliver £10m worth of vital supplies to food banks during the coronavirus crisis.
The supermarket giant will be running its bakeries, and egg, fruit and veg packing sites for an extra hour every day to prepare items for food banks.
In order to help customers donate to food banks purchase limits on items will be raised to four from three, and removed from some.
The company is the UK's biggest fresh foodmaker.
It will also be sending canned foods and pasta to local stores to give to their local food bank.
The supplies will be distributed by staff who already work with the local community.
The company is responding to reports that supplies to food banks have dried up over the last two weeks as the government has urged people to stay at home as the pandemic worsens.
Local 'drop off' points will be set up by Morrisons within its stores for people to donate goods.
David Potts, Chief Executive of Morrisons, said: "As a food maker and shopkeeper we are uniquely placed to help. We know food banks are finding life very difficult and running our manufacturing sites for an extra hour each day to help restock them is the right decision at this time.
"The core prurpose of all 96,537 colleagues at Morrisons is to play our full part in feeding the nation."
As reported in the MEN, last week Slattery's cake shop and bakery in Whitefield donated all its food, including hundreds of Easter eggs, to charities and food banks in Manchester and Salford, after it had to close for the time being due to the coronavirus outbreak.
Morrisons has already installed protective screens at all of its checkouts to assist social distancing for staff and customers.
