24 May 2023
Over 5,000 charities around the United Kingdom have benefitted from surplus food from Co-op over the course of a ten-year partnership between the retailer and FareShare.
More than 4,200 tonnes of surplus food – that is the equivalent of 10 million meals worth – have been diverted to FareShare. Instead of going to waste, this food has been redistributed to charities and community groups who turn it into nutritious meals and food parcels for people in need all over the UK.
With current figures from the Food Foundation* showing that a shocking 13 million people in the UK – including 4 million children – currently aren’t getting enough food to eat, this surplus food is needed now more than ever.
Lindsay Boswell, FareShare CEO said: “We are incredibly grateful to all the staff at Co-op who have worked with us over the last decade, to help us get the equivalent of 10 million meals to our network of charities and community groups across the UK. These charities help tackle the root causes of poverty, and provide vital services spanning domestic violence centres and homelessness shelters to hospices and after school clubs. This food, which may otherwise have gone to waste, has helped us strengthen communities, and helps provide a gateway for other services to people in need. During the pandemic, when demand for FareShare skyrocketed, Co-op spearheaded innovative ways to fundraise, from hosting a virtual concert, to galvanising Co-op members to donate their member points. These campaigns not only helped us expand our operations, it also helped change our ability to connect with the public, and share the impact of getting food out to our network of charities to much wider audience. We’re very proud of this longstanding partnership, and look forward to continue working with the Co-op to get even more good-to-eat food to the people we support across the UK.”
The Co-op’s 11 depots all have great relationships at a local level with their local FareShare site. FareShare Yorkshire, for example, receives food regularly from the Co-op’s Castlewood depot.
“We are deeply grateful to Co-op for their steadfast support. The daily provision of chilled and ambient surplus, alongside the immense support from within the Co-op team, has enabled us to not only continue our work but grow year on year to support more vital frontline organisations,” says Jonathan Williams, Head of Development at FareShare Yorkshire. “Without the support of Co-op, we simply wouldn’t be able to do our work on behalf of 400 charities across Yorkshire, so thank you from everyone in our team.”
