In 2022 we redistributed 1981 tonnes of surplus food to 280 frontline charities and community groups. All of us at FareShare Greater Manchester would like to say thank you. We send our thanks to everyone who has supported us during the past twelve months. Whether you have volunteered for us, donated to our fundraising campaigns or donated surplus food- you are making a valuable impact on the lives of people living in poverty across Greater Manchester.
2022 was a year of challenges. More people than ever are relying on the vital work of the charities that we support. Despite this, we have managed to develop and grow and are proud to celebrate our successes during this difficult period.
See below for our highlights of the year!
Moving into Maynard House
At the start of the year we finally moved into our new building, Maynard House. Maynard House is named after Marcus Rashford’s mum, Melanie Maynard.
The depot was named after Melanie in recognition of parents who work tirelessly to provide for their children in difficult circumstances.
The new building provides a far more comfortable setting for our staff and volunteers, whilst the new warehouse provides a much needed increase in capacity. As such, this enables us to provide more food than ever to those in need.
Green Employment and Skills Programme
In summer this year we participated in the Green Employment and Skills Programme, run by One Manchester. By taking part in the programme we were able to create nine temporary paid warehouse positions, and two social media assistant positions. The programme was designed to help people in Greater Manchester develop skills and experience in the green economy.
Volunteer Awards
In September, we celebrated the third annual FareShare Volunteer Awards with an afternoon tea. Our wonderful volunteer Debbie took home the Rising Star award. Also, Liz was highly commended for her work as Volunteer Manager.
Winners across the country were provided with awards made by the team at our allied social enterprise Touch Wood. They specialise in making items from reclaimed wood.
Congratulations again to all of the winners from across the UK, and thank you to all of our volunteers who selflessly show up and work hard every week.
Diwali Basket Brigade
On 22nd October we hosted the wonderful Diwali Basket Brigade, a community initiative that provides food hampers to vulnerable households. This year, the Manchester branch of the project managed to fund 500 of their ‘Diwali Baskets’. Each basket was filled by volunteers with a range of good quality, long-life food items. Some of the baskets were kindly donated to FareShare Greater Manchester for us to distribute amongst the charities and community groups that we support.
Tesco Food Collections
In June and December, we participated in the tenth biannual Tesco Food Collection, encouraging shoppers to donate long-life items. We’re so grateful to everyone who generously donated their time or food to the campaign. Your support means so much. The donations helped us to supplement our donations from the food industry with the items that are most badly-needed.
Slow Cooker Project
To finish off the year, we launched our new Slow Cooker Project. The project is our response to the ongoing cost of living crisis. It aims to help families across Greater Manchester cook healthier meals at a low-cost. You can find out more about the slow cooker project here.
