Tesco donates €20,000 of products as ATU Green Pantry marks 100 foodcloud donations

The Green Pantry at ATU Donegal reached a landmark as the initiative received more than €20,000 worth of health and beauty products from Tesco, supplied through the Food Cloud redistribution network.

This delivery marks the 100th Food Cloud donation to the Green Pantry. In addition to Food Cloud, the initiative has completed many other rescues through local supermarkets and partner programmes, including Lidl, M&S (via Neighbourly), Too Good To Go, and direct store collaborations.

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Tesco Letterkenny Store Manager Gavin welcomed the collaboration, highlighting how much potential waste exists across the retail sector.

“It’s great to know these items are going directly to students who can benefit from them,” he said. “Unfortunately, if not used, some of the food and products that go unsold end up in landfill.”

Operational support for the large delivery was provided by architect Patrick Gallagher (Studio Gallagher) and Juan Leandro, AI Innovator (Mirality) from the ATU Colab, who assisted in the logistics and preparation of the donation.

The Green Pantry’s student committee, volunteers, and Students’ Union team coordinated the fair distribution of all items to attending students.

The impact to date includes 100th donation via food cloud reached; 1,500+kg of food saved from landfill; 3,223 meal equivalents redistributed; 2,784 kg CO₂ emissions prevented; re‑turn recycling initiative supporting Donegal Hospice

Alongside surplus food and product redistribution, the Green Pantry has implemented a campus‑wide re‑turn bottle and can recycling programme, with six collection stations installed across ATU Donegal campus.

This initiative, supported by O’Hehirs Bakery and Catering team alongside the ATU Estates team, is projected to raise €4,000 throughout 2026 and has already returned 9,000 bottles and cans to date. The proceeds are split equally between Donegal Hospice and The Green Pantry initiative.

Charles Lukas Makio, Chairman of the Green Pantry, said: “Today’s donation from Tesco is one of the most significant contributions we’ve received. It proves what is possible when local businesses, students, and campus teams work together. Every rescue and every recycled can helps us build a more sustainable, supportive future for ATU Donegal.”

Local businesses who would like to contribute to this sustainability initiative are invited to contact atucommunitygreenpantry@gmail.com.

The Green Pantry is also welcoming student volunteers to assist with distribution, logistics and campus sustainability projects.