Nottingham's Victoria Centre is partnering with the local Salvation Army on a food drive which hopes to collect 'a mountain of food' - at least £2,500 worth of tinned and dried food, enough to feed 500 local people.

The 'Can Can' campaign will run between 9th - 11th September and all donated items will go to The Salvation  Army Food Appeal run by the church and charity organisation's community day centre in Notintone Place.

'Can Can' posters are now on display around Victoria Centre inviting shoppers and other visitors to bring dried and tinned foods which can be stored and distributed easily. As well as packets of rice or pasta, or tins of beans and sausages, instant noodles or tins of basic meat or fish are particularly welcomed. The Collection Point, on the Upper Mall near the Disney Store, will be manned by members of The Salvation Army during opening hours.

Notintone Place, a day centre and one of several Salvation Army's centres in and around Nottingham,* has provided emergency food parcels valued at £5 per person for several years but demand for parcels has more than doubled this year, from 104 to 242 in the equivalent period April - August.  To help with the demand, The Salvation Army has set a target for the 3-day 'Can Can' campaign of feeding 500 individuals with a total food value of £2,500.

"We regularly get families with 4 or 5 children asking or being referred for our help," says Phil Johnson Community Services Manager at Notintone Place. "Many more people than ever are in need of food parcels. Our duty is to care for those who don't have enough and to try to help anyone in Nottingham who may be going through hard times."

Major Gareth Dickens, Co-ordinator of Notintone Place, adds: "We're so grateful to Victoria Centre for helping us and working with us on the 'Can Can' campaign. We are really keen to get as much food as possible during the appeal.  Ten tins costing 50p each are more helpful than five costing £1 each because the more food that we get, the more referrals we can accept and the more people we can help."

Victoria Centre is making the area  in the Upper Mall available for the three days of the Appeal. General Manager Richard Bowler says: "I know our visitors are extremely generous when we hold an appeal, so let's see if we can beat the target of 500 people fed. We believe a local response to a local need is what is sometimes required, so I look forward to seeing a mountain of food building in the Mall."