Bristol University Press’s chosen charity for 2022 is FareShare South West, which redistributes surplus food to more than 400 charities, schools and community groups across the region. Among its members are hostels, day centres, lunch clubs, addiction agencies, young people’s projects and refugee centres, who use the food they receive to make meals or food parcels for those who are most in need.
Sunday is World Food Day. Here, Claire Allen, Communications Manager at FareShare South West, joins the dots between food waste and food poverty and suggests ways we can all make an impact.
“Food can be all things to all people. It can mark a celebration or ritual; it can provoke conversation or help make connections. It can bring families together, provide comfort, mark the changing of the seasons. None of us can live without it.
For some people, food is something that’s taken for granted. Three meals a day. Full cupboards and a well-stocked fridge. For others – farmers, chefs, growers and producers – food is their livelihood, their means of putting food on their own table. But for many millions of people across the world who can’t afford a healthy diet, food – or lack of it – is the first thing they think of when they wake up and the last thought they have before they go to sleep.
World Food Day is a day in the UN’s calendar of events where we’re asked to consider food and its place in today’s global society. For 2022, the UN is calling for a sustainable world, where everyone, everywhere has regular access to enough nutritious food and where NO ONE is left behind.
Enough food is produced today to feed everyone on the planet. Yet even in the UK, one of the richest and most developed countries in the world, one in ten of us struggle to afford to eat. That’s a staggering 7 million people in this country alone at high risk of food insecurity and malnutrition due to inequality, rising prices, COVID-19 and other global challenges.
As global citizens, we all have a role to play. At FareShare South West, we join the dots between food waste and hunger. Our work contributes to sustainable development goal SDG 2, zero hunger, and SDG 12, responsible consumption and production. Every year, 3.6 million tonnes of food is wasted by the food industry and more than 2 million tonnes of all food that goes to waste is still edible. As part of FareShare’s national network, we work with food suppliers of all sizes to redistribute surplus food (that would otherwise go to landfill) to charities, community groups, schools and shelters across the South West.
This massive operation (last year saw us redistribute food for nearly 5 million meals) relies on an army of volunteers, of all ages and from all walks of life, who can spare a few hours each week to help sort food into crates, drive vans, meet our charity members and keep the warehouse running smoothly, as well as on big-hearted organisations who want to make a difference. The team at Bristol University Press have nominated FareShare South West as their charity for 2022. As well as raising funds (a massive £7,449 and counting!), the BUP team has rolled up their sleeves and got to work at our central Bristol warehouse.
The work isn’t always glamorous, and often the things that are most beneficial to a charity might not attract the greatest number of likes on Instagram. But we’re on a mission to provide meaningful volunteer experiences for everyone who walks into the warehouse. Whether you’re putting up posters around town, posting flyers through letterboxes, sweeping the warehouse floor, breaking down cardboard boxes or sifting through crates of mangoes to remove any bruised fruit, volunteering with FareShare South West is fun, friendly and varied, and every little task is crucial to ensure our operations run smoothly.
“It was great to get the opportunity to volunteer at the warehouse. We got to see the amount of effort and care that goes into ensuring food goes to people who need it, instead of going to waste.” Ruth Wallace, Bristol University Press.
Right now, demand for our services has never been higher. Our Plymouth warehouse opened in early 2022 and, every week, the small but mighty team delivers hundreds of kilos of good-quality surplus food to 50 charities across Devon and Cornwall. But we know there’s more to do. Every day, Shelley, head of our Devon and Cornwall operation, picks up the phone to new organisations wanting to register for weekly deliveries:
“We know we’re making a difference to people’s lives. The charities we deliver to tell us every day how critical the food is for the people they’re supporting. But we want to do more — we have to. As winter approaches, many working people who’ve never before had to rely on free food will need help. We need more food, more volunteers and more space.”
Charities like FareShare South West are working hard to ensure that everyone, everywhere has access to enough nutritious food, and that no one is left behind. But we all need to be part of the change.
This World Food Day, you can make an impact. Here’s how:
Volunteer: If you can spare some time each week to join the fight against food poverty, get in touch. FareShare South West has warehouses in Bristol and Plymouth. Find out more on the Fareshare South West website.
Share: Spread the word. Share this blog. Follow FareShare South West on social media – Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram.
Donate: FareShare South West relies on donations and funds raised. Just £1 provides enough food for four meals. Make a donation on the FareShare South West website or on the Bristol University Press Just Giving page.”