Tesco food donation helps provide lunches for Newbury cafe run by TikTok star MealsWithMax

A Newbury café giving away free lunches for children over the summer holidays has launched an appeal for the town’s businesses to get behind it and secure its future.

McCann’s Coffee Shop in the Kennet Shopping centre recently received a massive donation of food from Tesco, enabling it to create meals to support families who are struggling with the cost of the six-week break.

Staff from the Pinchington Lane store gave bread, cheese, fruit, snacks and drinks to help the work of TikTok star Max McCann, who opened the café in May, after kitting it out for just £300.

Since then, he has created a vibrant community hub, where people can pay it forward by putting money into a kitty that can be used for people in need.

The summer holiday scheme includes free entertainment and activities across the holidays.

And Mr McCann said the need was there.

“We have served 350 lunches in the past week, and they have all been really, really well received,” he said.

“The parents are super grateful and the children enjoyed the lunches and the activities.

“We have been trying to have some free activities on as many days as possible over the holidays.”

This has included a crochet club, giving people an opportunity to try the craft and, on Sunday, holding a tarot card session, with readings made in exchange for a donation to the café’s work.

The donation by Tesco has been gratefully accepted.

“Tesco reached out to us, they saw what we were doing and dropped me a message to ask what they could do to support us,” Mr McCann added.

“We gave them a list and got pretty much everything on it.

“We really, really appreciate their support.”

Although a large gift, Mr McCann said it didn’t last long.

“We got through their donations in three days,” he said. “It goes to show how many lunches we provide, and that the need is there.”

The team at Tesco said they were delighted to offer help to the cafe.

Emma Ponfield, store manager at Tesco’s Newbury Extra, said: “We are really pleased to be able to support McCann’s to provide free lunches for children, and I am thrilled that last week’s food donation organised by two of our colleagues, Theresa and Sophie, has been able to support such a fantastic cause.”

Although the summer holidays are still in full swing, Mr McCann is already looking to the future.

“For Christmas, we have been in touch with local butchers, to make sure we can help as many people as possible,” he said, adding they will also be helping families over the October half-term.

And to ensure this support is available, Mr McCann is writing to Newbury’s businesses to ask them to help the café’s mission of supporting people in need, going above and beyond a QR code in the café’s window which leads to a website showing how to make donations.

“We are sending them a letter to get sponsorship of the café to give us long-term security,” he said.

“We have to be sustainable to help the community in the long-term.

“If any business wants to help us that would be amazing.”