FareShare Yorkshire has spent the last 25 years redistributing food to frontline organisations across England’s largest county.  Once food becomes surplus to commercial requirements, we step in to ensure good food does not go to waste but rather is directed to people with the greatest need.  However we can only do that with the support of hundreds of key partners in communities right across the county.  

The surplus food we provide each week benefits so many people in all kinds of situations.  Residents in emergency accommodation and refuges; visitors to drop-in centres and soup kitchens; parents picking their children up from school unsure what they can provide for dinner.  From nurseries to support groups to elderly lunch clubs, having adequate and dignified food access is a lifelong necessity.

Day-by-day our volunteers load vans with delicious food that we receive from hundreds of food partners. From there, our Community Food Members receive it and work their magic for the beneficiaries who rely on them for a lifeline; often the last safety net they can find.  Today we want to celebrate just 1% of the charities we serve, who have just reached a decade of partnership with us.

Over the last 5 and a half years alone, these 4 charities have redistributed over 146 tonnes of surplus with our support – the equivalent of 43,000 trays.  This included over 45 tonnes of fresh fruit and vegetables and 19 tonnes of dairy, preventing 539 tonnes of CO2 that was produced in the farming, manufacture and transportation of this food from being emitted in vain.

New Wortley Community Centre (NWCC) is a community-led organisation based in Leeds that provides support to residents living in New Wortley and the wider Armley ward.  The charity offers a range of services, groups and activities to help people lead happier and healthier lives.

Rhea Bentley, the Food and Facilities Project Coordinator at NWCC, explains how their initiative works.

“We use the food we receive from FareShare Yorkshire in a variety of ways.  We have a popular Food Store which provides residents with emergency food parcels, then we encourage them to join the Food Store recipe service.  We currently have 18 recipes that they can order once per week, then they collect on Fridays.  We also run cooking courses at the centre, where some of the FareShare Yorkshire food is used.  Volunteers can get involved with this too, prepping and distributing the food, which gives them motivation and skills that enhances their lives and opportunities.”

Rhea also spoke about the impact that deliveries have on their organisation.

“We really couldn’t provide the services to the degree we do without the support of FareShare Yorkshire.  Services would certainly have to be cut back.  We are very grateful for the work they do, resourcing food for centres like ours. It gives people chance to access food where finances are stretched in one of the more deprived neighbourhoods in Leeds.”

Batley Care and Drop-In is another partner celebrating 10 years of work with our team. 

The Centre opened in 2010 as a venture to support socially isolated, disadvantaged and homeless people. They have four main aims which have remained a constant to this day: to improve the social welfare of inhabitants within Batley and its surrounding area; to provide a safe environment where people can meet together in a friendly social environment;, to provide food parcels, clothing and other supplies where particularly needed and when available; and to enable access to external organisations who can provide specialist support and advice.

Laurie and Linda Denton, Joint Coordinators at Batley Care and Drop-In, explain some of the services they offer to their beneficiaries.

“We have a really wide range of clients.  Almost all of them come in with low income or are on benefits, some are just happy to socialise with others.  Some have even had their benefits stopped for various reasons.  We see some who have problems with current or previous drug or alcohol use.  Whatever their circumstances, we try to be non-judgemental.

“We have representatives come in regularly that develop confidence and trust in our clients.  They also offer direct support and assistance in terms of physical and mental health, countering drug abuse, finance, housing, welfare, completing official documents and more.”

The weekly food deliveries from FareShare Yorkshire go towards lunch preparation and food parcels for their beneficiaries.

“We are really thankful to FareShare Yorkshire for the support they provide for our clients.  Without this, we’d really be struggling to provide our current level of service.”We currently support 400 CFMs each year with surplus food deliveries, as well as access to cookery classes for those who utilise surplus in their kitchens. 

If your organisation is interested in finding out more about what we do, or you’d like to enquire about becoming a community food member, please contact us via: [email protected] or click here.