DONATIONS from Co-op customers are helping to feed asylum seekers.

The Middlesbrough-based Mary Thompson Fund, which works to improve the life of refugees in the area, has been awarded £1,000 worth of basic provisions from the company for individuals and families.

Thanks to the generosity of its customers, the Co-op's Community Dividend Fund was able to turn cash donations into food parcels of milk, bread and tinned foods. The fund also provided for cash handouts to refugees of £5

Fund volunteer worker Sally Capes said: "Through the provision of food packages, we can offer a basic standard of living where Government support has been delayed or is not available.''