tackling food poverty

Feeding communities

We redistribute surplus stock from supermarkets and suppliers to charities and community groups. By providing quality food we help groups to reduce their running costs and feed vulnerable communities while also reducing food waste. We are proud to be part of the national FareShare network.

  • Tackling food poverty
  • Reducing charities’ running costs
  • Diverting food waste
tackling food poverty

Our impact

We deliver well over 3 million meals every year, helping hundreds of charitable groups to feed up to 20,000 people every week.

  • Food
  • Support
  • Savings
food

Food

Working in partnership with FareShare, we supply food for groups to feed communities across Lancashire and Cumbria. The goods come from supermarkets, their supply chains or manufacturers and farmers. It is all in-date and quality but surplus to requirements and would have otherwise gone to landfill or incineration

“It’s shocking all this food was ever destined for landfill.” Neil Reid, Blackpool Food Bank
support

Support

By providing food for their communities, our members can then offer additional support like training or advocacy. Our members tell us the food is just the beginning, helping them to identify people in need of additional support.

“People know this is a place they can get support and food.” Christine Phillips, His Provision
savings

Savings

The groups we support range from hospices and homeless shelters to school breakfast clubs and food banks. By supplying them with food at a fraction of the market value, we support them to reduce their running costs. The savings created can then be spent on essential support services.

“As well as helping to cut costs, it helps us to teach our service users cooking skills.” Phil Taylor, Mencap Carlisle
skills

Skills & Volunteering

Our Centre also offers opportunities for skills development, supporting volunteers to undertake training and personal development or allowing professionals to volunteer their time and experience to help communities. Volunteers range from job seekers and prison leavers to retired professional and foreign exchange students.
Working with our Training Kitchen, the Centre also connects members and their beneficiaries to cookery classes. Participants can learn cookery skills and all about nutrition and budgeting, supporting them to improve their health and wellbeing and better manage their finances.

Across the UK 2 million tonnes of food is wasted annually. Operational tactics and geographic factors mean waste is knowingly created within food systems but it is cheaper and easier for businesses to dispose of this than redistribute it. At the same time, 7 million people face severe food insecurity across the UK. By redistributing surplus stock we are reducing food waste and food hunger.

Together we’re changing lives

We work with charities, local authorities and businesses alike to reduce spend on food, tackle food poverty and reduce food waste.

By taking surplus food from our Centre, charities save on average £7,900 annually, as well as being able to support many more people or diversify their offering.

Working with businesses in the food sector, from retailers to wholesalers, suppliers, manufacturers and even farmers, we arrange deliveries or collections of surplus goods to reduce waste and associated costs.

Together we’re changing lives
“We’ve been able to help so many more people using this food.”
Chris Kania, Pennine Way School
“We cannot bear for any food to go to waste when there are so many people in need.”
Suzi Allan, Oloves
We cannot bear for any food to go to waste when there are so many people in need.

Get in touch

Our Food Redistribution Centre is run by Laura. Laura and her dedicated team of staff and volunteers coordinate the deliveries and collection of hundreds of tonnes of food produce, ensuring each member group gets the goods their communities want and need. They also work with supermarkets and suppliers to remain responsive to stock movements.

Speak to Laura today about working with Recycling Lives Charity:

Speak to Laura today about working with Recycling Lives