Fareshare struggles to meet demand – can you help?

FareShare  is calling on all corners of the food industry that it does not already work with to help support charities across the UK that are facing unprecedented demand

During the last financial year, 2022-23, FareShare – the UK’s biggest charity fighting hunger and food waste – redistributed four meals every second to charities across the UK supporting some of the most vulnerable communities. This equates to almost 128 million meals.

However, 90% of the charities and community groups receiving food from FareShare have reported a dramatic leap in people seeking help. Despite ongoing support from partners across the food industry, FareShare’s network is struggling to meet demand, with many charities and community groups saying their day-to-day operations will be severely impacted without sufficient food supplies.

FareShare already works with more than 850 partners in the food industry to redistribute good-to-eat surplus food to those that need it via a nationwide network of charities and community groups. The food provided by FareShare strengthens communities and brings people together, often offering a gateway to additional services. FareShare is working tirelessly to continuously support the vital services delivered by charities across the country, including food banks and pantries, hostels, refuges, community centres, older people’s lunch clubs, school clubs and hospices.

In a recent survey of charities receiving food from FareShare, over half reported needing more ambient and/or chilled food, while almost half also said they needed more supplies of frozen food, meaning there are opportunities for all sectors of the food industry to provide support.

Lindsay Boswell, CEO of FareShare says: “We are enormously grateful to our existing supporters across the food industry, who continue to do all they can to provide us with surplus food. Unfortunately, demand continues to outstrip supply. In all regions across the UK, we desperately need additional food from new sources to help boost our supplies. Ongoing supply chain issues, the war in Ukraine, and high energy costs are all factors impacting the availability of food surplus for redistribution. We would encourage all food industry businesses that do not already work with FareShare to consider passing on their surplus food to us as it will be pivotal in enabling charities and groups to continue providing vital services within their community.”

To help get good food to people who need it most, not let it go to waste, please visit www.fareshare.org.uk/givefood

charity FareShare food waste hunger Lindsay Boswell