August 2022

Our food redistribution work is on the road to more growth thanks to the addition of a new asset – an 18 tonne truck.

The wagon will allow us to make collections of food, increasing the volumes of goods reaching communities by around 25%.

Our redistribution programme, delivered in partnership with FareShare, is reliant on donations and deliveries of in-date surplus stock from the food retail chain. However, driver shortages and logistics challenges have impacted retailers’ ability to redirect surplus stock to the FareShare network.

The new wagon will allow us to collect up to 10 tonnes of additional stock every week from retailers and suppliers across the North of England. This should allow us to increase the volume of food we supply to charities and community groups by around 25% overall.

The goods collected will be split between our Centre – FareShare Lancashire & Cumbria – and also the FareShare regional centres for Greater Manchester and Merseyside, helping hundreds of groups.

Produce – including meat, fresh fruit and veg – is then distributed to groups such as social supermarkets, school breakfast clubs, housing associations and older people’s clubs, supporting people most at risk.

Chief Executive Alasdair Jackson said: “This new asset comes at a crucial time, when demand is soaring as people struggle with the cost-of-living crisis. This food is desperately needed.
“Being able to increase our food supply and have greater control over logistics will be helpful for all too. As suppliers and retailers have faced supply chain challenges, they’ve not always been able to prioritise getting surplus stock to us – creating unnecessary waste at a time when more and more people are facing food insecurity.
“Happily this opportunity has also allowed us to create a new role – our driver, Dave – and upskill another team member, to support the health and safety side of things.”

The wagon, paid for by FareShare nationally, is part of a 12-month pilot to test a new approach to receiving stock from suppliers.

Our Food Redistribution Centre last year delivered 3.2 million meals to communities across Lancashire and Cumbria. As the pandemic has impacted communities, our members ensure children, families and older people need not go without, while also preventing thousands of tonnes of good food does not go to waste.

Read about the work of our members groups here.

To support our food redistribution work, you can volunteer with us or make a donation here.