An update from FareShare South West

The last time we caught up with our partner charity, FareShare South West, in October last year we had just hit the milestone of 200,000 meals donated since March. They were also about to launch their FoodStock 2020 campaign, gathering an emergency supply of food to support smaller charities and organisations across the South West in what was expected to be a very tough winter.

Last week, we were incredibly proud to be on track to our goal of donating a quarter of a million meals, with over 228,000 meals donated so far. So, it seemed a good time to catch up again with Phoebe Ruxton, Head of Development at FareShare South West. We wanted to find out about the progress of FoodStock 2020, and the effects of food insecurity across the South West of England.

Who are FareShare South West?

For those that may be new to our blog, FareShare South West is a regional hub of the national charity FareShare. They work with brands and organisations to distribute surplus food to smaller charities across the South West, such as schools, food banks and homeless hostels.

FoodStock2020, an update...

The FoodStock2020 campaign was launched by FareShare South West in November of last year. Click here to find out in more detail about FareShare South West and the FoodStock 2020 campaign.

According to Phoebe the campaign has gone very smoothly, and they have been able to give vital support to small charities across the region when they have needed it most. As the effects of the pandemic rage on, there has been serious demand across the region and the campaign has been extended from February 2021 until the end of March. To put this into perspective, FareShare South West’s aim was to donate enough for 1 million meals by February, yet they surpassed this by Christmas due to the massive demand.

It is no surprise given the recent media coverage, that demand across the region was particularly high amongst schools and families. Aside from gathering a supply of food, FareShare South West have been able to assist in streamlining the process of accessing emergency food. For example, the introduction of their food parcel packing scheme meant 5,000 food parcels were delivered to smaller charities free of charge. This was crucial in the run up to Christmas as organisations simply did not have the resources and infrastructure to distribute food. Although FoodStock2020 went well over the Christmas period, it is more important than ever to support charities like FareShare, as crucial support can drop off around this time, even though the need is still there.

The Future of FareShare South West

It’s obvious that demand across the South West is still great and FareShare South West has seen the third highest growth out of all the regional centres across the UK in the past year. What is notable about the South West is its unusual profile around food poverty, for example rural farming communities where there is no access to affordable supermarkets nearby. The charity has already expanded into Devon and have plans to reach Cornwall too, an area that has been greatly affected by the effects of Coronavirus.

Food insecurity is certainly not an issue that is going away any time soon. Long term, the charity is looking ahead to solidify the temporary practices and infrastructure that have been set up in the pandemic and helped so many people in need. When the FoodStock 2020 campaign finishes, FareShare South West will go back to their surplus food model, as food donations will come to an end. They are currently working on ways to increase awareness and work with more companies, like Field & Flower, to donate their surplus food.

We ended our meeting with Phoebe on a positive note. Whilst the pandemic has affected so many lives and caused so many to slip into food poverty, it has shone a light on a previously hidden issue. Phoebe is optimistic that post-lockdown child poverty and hunger are now much higher up the government agenda than ever before. This, backed up with new research, means that charities like FareShare South West will be given the national support that they deserve.

We could not be prouder to support FareShare South West and all the amazing work they do for the community. We are continuing to donate much-needed funds, as well as our free-range British meat and sustainable fish that will be redistributed to those in need. We are also continuing with our donation initiative that allows our customers the chance to donate when placing their order.