Food charity FareShare Greater Manchester, run by environmental charity EMERGE, has delivered enough food to create 938,534 meals to frontline charities supporting vulnerable people since lockdown measures began – praising the extraordinary efforts of its supporters and volunteers during the crisis.
Over the course of the last year, the Openshaw-based partnership redistributed over 1,268 tonnes of in-date surplus food from the food industry to 250 charities, including school breakfast clubs, food banks and community centres.
In the nine weeks following the lockdown the charity has distributed 397 tonnes of food to frontline charities across the region – with food volumes distributed almost doubling week on week. As well as fresh food, the charity is supplying packets and tins to local charities and several Greater Manchester local authorities to help create food parcels for those who are vulnerable or self-isolating. The charity estimates that since lockdown measure came into place, as many as 51,000 people are now accessing food provided by FareShare Greater Manchester each week.
As the effects of coronavirus impact the economy, the charity anticipates need will only continue to rise in the difficult months that follow – and in response has taken on additional warehouse space. The space however is in need of extensive refurbishment, so the charity has launched a £500,000 fundraising campaign to appeal for donations to help fund the work.
Miranda Kaunang, Head of Development at FareShare Greater Manchester, said: “Because of the lockdown many more people are finding themselves in really tough circumstances, and demand for our food has skyrocketed – but we’re doing everything we can to continue to get food onto people’s plates.
“We’re incredibly grateful to our team of volunteers who have given so much to help us get food out at such a critical time, and to everyone who is able to make a donation. These are tough times for everyone and it’s heartening to see communities pull together to get food out to people who need it during this crisis.
“Unfortunately we know this period of hardship is far from over. It’s likely many more people will find themselves in hardship in the difficult months and years to come – which is why we’re appealing for financial donations which will help fund the costs of a relocation to a larger warehouse and support us to provide more food, so that we can ensure good food continues to get onto the plates of those who need it most.”
Iain Linsdell is Headteacher at Poplar Street Primary in Tameside, which typically uses FareShare food breakfast and after school clubs but is now delivering using FareShare food to deliver food parcels to families – with 100 delivered in the last week. He said: “Schools might have closed through the lockdown but in many respects our partnership with FareShare has enabled Poplar Street Primary to become a different kind of community hub.
“Without FareShare, there would be hardship and hunger on a scale that we’ve probably never experienced in our communities, but through our partnership we’re able to reach our community, providing families with a weekly food delivery which stops them from having to go out to the shops and spend money they really can’t afford. It’s keeping our community connected in a way that’s familiar and reassuring.”
Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham, added: “We know that this period has brought new challenges for many people, and here in Greater Manchester we recognise that we need to reach out to everyone in our communities and make sure we all come through this crisis together.
“FareShare have done phenomenal work delivering food to charities and local authorities throughout our city-region, helping them provide vital services like food banks, breakfast clubs, and food parcels for people who already found themselves in challenging circumstances before the coronavirus pandemic hit.
“These challenges aren’t going away, and the work of charities like FareShare will be critical to maintaining that support as we look to recover from this period and build back in a way that’s fairer and better for all.”
To find out more and donate to FareShare Greater Manchester, visit: www.faresharegm.org.uk.
