In 2019, we went above and beyond anything our charity has ever done before.
The baseline of our mission objective as an independent part of the FareShare network is to save surplus food and deliver it to people in need. We could stop at shifting food, but we know that when distributed strategically and innovatively our surplus food has the power to do more.
Working in close partnership with hundreds of local organisations, in 2019 we created new ways of getting our food direct to those most in need- like our Pantry model, delivering food into spaces where families in crisis can access affordable, fresh groceries without needing a food bank referral.
We used every square inch of our Bristol warehouse to maximum potential, doubling the number of organisations we support in the last 18 months. With cuts being made to charities and vital services across the region, now more than ever we have a responsibility to use surplus food as a force
for good.
As of December 2019, we are now delivering food for over 1 million meals every year.
While this is a huge milestone we intend to celebrate, we know it is a small part of the picture when it comes to surplus food and food poverty.
Without FareShare South West in 2019:
- Tens of thousands of meals for South West children at risk of hunger over the summer holidays would not have been served.
- Surplus food for 17,250 meals for Bristol people who are facing homelessness or loneliness at Christmas would not have been delivered.
- The 262 charities, schools and community groups we support each week would have spent an extra £2 million of their precious budgets on food and extra support services.
- Over 550 tonnes per year of surplus food would have gone to waste, producing over 250 tonnes of CO2, while thousands in the region struggle to eat.
