We’re thrilled to share that we are launching a FareShare Greater Manchester podcast!
Food Stories will take listeners behind the scenes to meet our brilliant staff and our utterly amazing volunteers. We’ll also take you out on deliveries and introduce you to some of our Community Food Members who use our food to serve their communities.
As part of our new podcast launch, we’re excited to share what it is we do. We rescue good-to-eat surplus food from going to waste and redistributing it to hundreds of charities and community groups across our city of Manchester and beyond, as well as sharing the stories of some of those groups who we support.
You can listen to our brand new podcast trailer on the link below or by searching for Food Stories from FareShare Greater Manchester on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and some other podcast apps.
To make sure you don’t miss out on the first episode from the new podcast launch, follow Food Stories on your favourite podcast app and you will automatically get it when it’s published. By subscribing to the podcast, you’ll stay updated on inspiring stories and learn how you can get involved in reducing food waste and supporting communities across Manchester.
Happy listening!
Emmeline’s Pantry, a food bank for vulnerable women, was first set up 14 years ago at the Pankhurst Centre in Manchester. It was started after Karen, a volunteer there, offered to tidy up a cupboard containing smart clothes for women to use if they needed to go to court. She and a fellow volunteer were asked to take over the running of the cupboard and they soon discovered there was a need to offer food as well to the women they were serving.
The organisation now offers food, toiletries, clothes and anything else it can to help support a woman in need to make her life easier. They are one of our long term Community Food Members accessing good-to-eat surplus food from our Openshaw warehouse.
Emmeline’s Pantry is run exclusively by women primarily supporting women. After a number of years based at the Pankhurst Centre, the organisation relocated to the Chorlton area around 6 years ago and now has a community garden and an allotment which is run by mixed-gender volunteers.
Emmeline’s Pantry had a target initially to support women who have fled gender based violence, modern day slavery, trafficking and domestic violence. However, over Covid, they noticed an increase in the number of women falling into food poverty and they extended their services to help them too.
Karen says of the food they receive from FareShare Greater Manchester, “It’s used in our food bank and it really, really helps. Since we first set up, we’ve had what’s classed as a ‘pantry model’ so we’ve always offered fresh food. For women who have fled gender based violence, a lot of them have been under very controlling relationships, so now they’ve moved out, they’ve been rescued, it’s all about getting them back on track and being able to make choices for themselves and choosing healthy food”.
If you would like to find out more about Emmeline’s Pantry and the services they offer, please check out their website or look for Emmeline’s Pantry on social media.
Cedar Park Pantry, is one of our Community Food Members serving the community of Ashton-under-Lyne. Run by the Smallshaw Hurst Community Action Group with support from Ashton United in the Community, Smallshaw-Hurst Children’s Community & St John the Evangelist Church, the pantry offers food support to local residents who are part of their membership.
The Pantry’s aim is to support the community they live in and ensure that nobody is left isolated or without support. Membership of the Pantry is free for residents of Broadoak, Hazel Hurst, Hurst Cross and Smallshaw. On being asked about the food they receive from FareShare Greater Manchester, they replied “we couldn’t do it without you – FareShare Plus is great!”.
Members are treated to refreshments when the Pantry opens for the business each Tuesday. When they visit the Pantry, members pay £3 each time they shop and in return they get a bag of food valued at around £18. You can find the Cedar Park Pantry in the Cedar Park Pavilion building just off Queens Road in Ashton-under-Lyne.
If you are a community organisation serving your local community with food and are interested in finding out more about what FareShare Greater Manchester can offer, please get in touch: membership@emergemanchester.co.uk
For more information about our Community Food Membership, check out our web page: https://www.faresharegm.org.uk/get-food/
The run-up to Christmas is always a busy time for us at FareShare Greater Manchester. We make sure all our community food Members have the stock they need for the festive period. Additionally, there is always extra work that comes our way at this time of year.
Each year, the Buckingham Emergency Food Appeal (BEFA) delivers food to additional North West charities. These charities cater to those in need at Christmas. Our Openshaw warehouse serves as the BEFA hub for this region each December. We have been doing this for more than a decade.
BEFA first began 39 years ago after founder and farmer, Mike Buckingham, took his children to the theatre in central London. On the trip, they saw homeless people sleeping under Waterloo Bridge and learned that they were going to be served Christmas dinner at the homeless charity Crisis. Mike went to Crisis, said he was a farmer and asked what he could do to help with the Christmas meal.
That first year, they collected £750 worth of food, put it onto a lorry and took it to London to support the Crisis Christmas dinner. The Buckingham Emergency Food Appeal was born and has been going ever since.
Over the years, the BEFA operation has grown from just serving central London and uses FareShare Greater Manchester as a hub for charities in the North West of England. This year, BEFA is hoping to support 200 charities, many of whom are supporting people who are homeless and vulnerable.
Last week, we distributed food to 46 North West charities and community groups thanks to the BEFA food delivery which included turkeys, vegetables, Christmas puddings & other food stuffs too.
We couldn’t have managed the BEFA redistribution this year without our brilliant corporate volunteers from Garic and Hive Projects. They were brilliant. Thank you so much guys!
Learn more about the Buckingham Emergency Food Project.
Dukinfield Pantry is a community pantry providing essential food items for the general public in need.
With the motto: ‘Prevent Food Poverty & Reduce Food Waste’, the pantry supplies chilled, fresh, frozen and dried goods to those needing support through tough times and beyond. Dukinfield Pantry is one of our Community Food Members and has been for almost a decade.
Customers are charged £4.50 for one full bag of food with the possibility to upgrade with add-ons for 50p, £1 or £2. Clients walk away with great value as they get in the region of £20-30 worth of food.
You can find Dukinfield Pantry at 2 Wellington Parade in Dukinfield, it is open to anyone including working people, OAPs and those claiming benefits. The pantry operates each Tuesday from 9:30am as all of the volunteers who run it are mums of school-aged children and they need to do the school run first. The doors stay open until 12 noon or until the food for that week has nearly gone.
If you are a community organisation serving your local community with food and are interested in finding out more about what FareShare Greater Manchester can offer, please get in touch with us at membership@emergemanchester.co.uk or check out our web page: https://www.faresharegm.org.uk/get-food/
Somewhere like here gives me faith in humanity
John
Member of Gorton Community Grocer
Last month, FareShare Greater Manchester was invited to the relaunch of Gorton Central, the home of the Gorton Community Grocer. The building on Highmead Street in Abbey Hey offers a wide range of services that support the local community. These services include Citizens Advice for help with finances and benefits, as well as health advice, courses and support groups. Additionally, the site features a community garden where members can grow their own food and flowers. The garden also provides a peaceful haven for people to relax outdoors.
The Community Grocer, supported by food from FareShare Greater Manchester, provides discounted food to local resident members. When members sign up, they pay £3 per week for £15 worth of food. They also gain access to referrals, signposting, and personalised support.
John’s story
One of their members, John, joined the Community Grocer after calling in to collect a ‘food crisis bag’. He was at risk of homelessness and regularly went without food. With one-to-one support from the Community Grocer, John accessed energy assistance and joined the ‘Be Smoke Free’ programme. As a result, he successfully stopped smoking. He also joined ‘The River’ a domestic abuse charity and attended an ‘Understanding Your Trauma’ mental health support course at Gorton Central.
John described his experience of becoming a Community Grocer member: “With the Grocers, I didn’t realise how important it was and how much confidence it would give me. Now I have my benefits reinstated, I’ve paid off my rent arrears, I’ve got a phone sorted, got my gas and electricity sorted. After I got help, everything started falling into place. I reached out to the Grocers and now I’ve stopped smoking through support. It’s kept me on track…This is good for me as I can easily disenfranchise myself. This has helped me keep in touch with the real world and it has given me hope. Somewhere like here gives me faith in humanity.”
Great savings for the community
Over the course of a year, members at the Community Grocer collectively save £30,430 which in real terms is the equivalent to 16,080 meals. In the past two years, 182 members have accessed food in this way.
Another of the Community Grocer members is Lisa, she experiences PTSD and has multiple barriers to engagement. Through supportive one-to-one sessions, she was referred to several organisations to help with the difficulties she was struggling with. As a result of attending activities at the centre, Lisa gained the confidence to join a public speaking group and a local cinema group at other community venues.
Lisa says joining the membership was a real help: “The Community Grocers has eased the stress of everything – both from financial support and the related activities and referrals. It’s been such a help and a support and I really appreciate it as it was just the Grocer, then it turned into health and wellbeing and then it was a writing for wellbeing course – it broadened to everything so it has been very beneficial.”
Community Growing Garden
In addition to the Community Grocers and other activities, courses and support which take place within Gorton Central, behind it lies the Community Growing Garden which has won a string of awards over the years it has been running. For the one-off cost of £20, garden members are given two raised planting beds to grow food and flowers for their own household. They also have access to a large polytunnel where they can help themselves to the tomatoes and other produce which grows there for the benefit of everyone.
The relaunch of Gorton Central, follows a £1 million investment to refurbish the building after the organization, Healthy Me Healthy Community took on a 25 year lease of the building from Manchester City Council. On the day, there were stalls about the history of Gorton and the community centre building itself. There was also a cookery demonstration using surplus food from the Community Grocer.
You can find out more about Gorton Central Healthy Me Healthy Community on their website.
In recent weeks, we have been saying a big ‘thank you’ to the companies which supply us with the food we redistribute to our community food members (over 300 charities and community groups). This time, we’re shining the spotlight on Warburtons. Warburtons food donations have played a vital role in supporting FareShare Greater Manchester’s mission to feed those in need and reduce food waste across the community.
Our partnership with FareShare has enabled us to donate even more products to those who need it the most in our communities whilst doing the right thing for the environment. Our people take great pride in playing a part in redistributing surplus and have had opportunities to volunteer and see the difference they are making! – Warburtons
Warburtons
Food Supplier
Warburtons, a fifth-generation family business, has been baking since 1876 and is now Britain’s largest bakery brand. Since the company began, it has been proud to support the communities close to its bakeries sites and has been a supporter of FareShare in Greater Manchester since 2019. In the five years they have been working with us, they have donated over 68 tonnes of bread products to help our operation, feeding those that need it the most and reducing their operational food waste.
Supporting communities
Building on its rich history of supporting local communities, the company launched The Warburtons Foundation in 2022 which aims to support families across Great Britain. They say “Through the Warburtons Foundation, we are committed to supporting communities whether that be through product donations, financial support or education. Our partnership with FareShare has enabled us to donate even more products to those who need it the most in our communities, whilst doing the right thing for the environment. Our people take great pride in playing a part in redistributing our surplus products and have had opportunities to volunteer and see the difference they are making.”
Volunteering
arburtons food donations not only support local communities but also provide their employees with volunteering opportunities at FareShare Greater Manchester, where they see the impact firsthand. Like many of our corporate partners, Warburtons has taken the opportunity to send their colleagues along to our HQ at Maynard House in New Smithfield Market to volunteer. Corporate volunteers can get hands on experience in our warehouse picking and packing orders ready for delivery to our community food partners. They also have the chance work as driver’s assistants, riding out in the delivery vans to see firsthand where the food is going. Find out more about our corporate volunteering opportunities.
Sustainability goals
An added benefit to donating surplus food to FareShare Greater Manchester is that food manufacturers can hit their sustainability targets and minimise their impact on the environment as well as helping the community. Companies which donate food to FareShare receive regular impact reports from our development team, which shows just how powerful their donations are.
Warburtons says, “We want to reduce our impact on the environment to ensure we are a responsible, safe and trusted brand for the long term. Our sustainability strategy sets out key ambitions for carbon reduction, food waste, packaging, sourcing and people & communities. By working with FareShare, we can accelerate our ambition of ensuring no good food goes to waste.”
Partnering with Fareshare to redistribute their surplus products was a natural choice; “We take great pride in making our products and hate to see them wasted. Within our operations, we have avoided sending any Warburtons products to landfill since 2015, but we knew we could do more to redistribute surplus back into communities and so we partnered with Fareshare in 2019 to help us do just that.”
Urging others to do the same
What advice would Warburtons give to other food producers considering donating their surplus food to FareShare Greater Manchester?
“Making sure no good food goes to waste is increasingly important and we would encourage all food producers to partner with FareShare to support families in need, while also combatting operational food waste. They are easy to work with, take good care of our products and support us to tell the story to our colleagues, whether that be through attending events at our sites or hosting volunteers.”
Thank you to Warburtons for your continued support for FareShare Greater Manchester!
If you would like to see how your company can work with FareShare Greater Manchester, please get in touch.
Parfetts food donations have been instrumental in supporting FareShare Greater Manchester’s efforts to redistribute surplus food to local charities and community groups. Throughout the summer, we are saying a big ‘thank you’ to the companies who supply us with the food we redistribute to our community food members (over 300 charities and community groups). This time, we’re shining the spotlight on Parfetts.
In a business where there is always going to be an element of surplus, it enables us to square the circle – where we can use that surplus to make a difference – Parfetts
Parfetts
Parfetts is one of the largest independent retail wholesalers in the UK. It supplies stock to over 1,000 Go Local, The Local & Go Local Extra independent retailers. When we asked why they chose to support FareShare Greater Manchester, they responded, “there wasn’t a specific event which prompted the decision. We just want to ensure we are always serving the communities in which we operate.”
Supporting local communities
Since beginning their partnership with us, Parfetts food donations have provided nearly 6 tonnes of surplus food, directly benefiting the communities they serve. The company emphasises how important it is for their staff to support the local communities where they are based; “As an employee owned business, we are very active in our local communities supporting charities and good causes and encourage our team to get involved. The vast majority of our customers operate stores that serve their local communities and the health of those communities affects them – so us supporting local communities has wide reaching benefits for all. Wastage in a business like ours is inevitable, despite us doing everything we can to minimise it and we felt that if this could be put to a positive use that helped people it could only be positive.”
Good for the environment
We accept both regular and one-off deliveries of in-date surplus food at our Manchester warehouse. We believe that good food is best eaten, not thrown away. Giving surplus food to charity with FareShare follows the food use hierarchy which calls to feed people in need first, before sending food to animal feed, anaerobic digestion or to landfill. When food producers and suppliers donate food to charity through FareShare, they not only help the environment, they help fight hunger in the local community too.
Parfetts says, “In a business where there is always going to be an element of surplus it enables us to square the circle – where we can use that surplus to make a difference. Alongside our environmental policies and the changes we are making to the business, it is another string to our bow to move us in the right direction.”
Proud to be making a difference
Taking pride in supporting local causes is a positive for Parfetts; “As an employee owned business, our team are involved in decisions like this and kept fully aware of everything we are doing – this is just one of the ways we ensure that the team are happy and feel good about the business and the things we do.” The company continues, “Our team members are from the local community and so are part of it by definition, so working for a company that makes an active difference is always a point of pride”.
What advice would Parfetts have for anyone else working in the food industry thinking of donating surplus food to FareShare Greater Manchester? “Just do it – there are only benefits and the rewards for a minimal amount of work are huge”.
Thank you Parfetts for your continued support for FareShare Greater Manchester!
Throughout the summer, we are saying a big ‘thank you’ to the companies which supply us with the food we redistribute to our community food members (over 300 charities and community groups across Greater Manchester). This time, we’re shining the spotlight on Kellanova.
It goes without saying that it makes our employees feel good about working for a company that does good and gives back to its local community. Combine this with the opportunity to volunteer at FareShare and get to see firsthand the important work that FareShare does and how our contributions aid their efforts – Kellanova
Kellanova
Our relationship with Kellanova dates back 15 years – the company told us how that first donation came about; “We first started donating products to FareShare Greater Manchester in 2009 when a colleague from the supply chain team (logistics) commented on edible food that was getting written off (sold off for animal feed). We created a new process to separate edible from inedible and started donating it to FareShare Greater Manchester. By doing this it helps us support local communities and has created a lasting partnership with FareShare.”
During the last 15 years, Kellanova has donated an amazing 250 tonnes of products to FareShare Greater Manchester. When you consider the fact that cereals are relatively light in comparison to other foodstuffs, that adds up to a colossal amount of food.
Helping the community
We asked Kellanova what the key benefits are that they’ve experienced from donating surplus food in this way. Their response was; “It goes without saying that our key objective is to sell all the products we make but occasionally there are times when that’s not possible, so donating to FareShare is the best alternative. We know that our breakfast cereals are a staple for most households and they’re a welcome addition for the school breakfast clubs and food banks who feed people in need”.
Cereals and other breakfast items are very much in demand with the community food members we serve especially school breakfast clubs, food banks and community pantries. L’Chaim is one of the groups which benefits from the Kellanova food donations made, Dubby Klyne from L’Chaim Foodbank says they are hugely important:
The cereals provided by Kellanova via FareShare have played a huge part in our ability to provide emergency food parcels to thousands of recipients in the Greater Manchester area over the last few years. Since the end of Covid, food donations have comparatively dwindled to a trickle and combined with a need that has grown exponentially in the same period it has been increasingly difficult for organisations like L’Chaim Foodbank to provide the basic three meals to families who are most in need. The cereal donations from Kellanova meant that for a long period of time, we didn’t have to worry about being able to provide at least one of those meals every day. – Dubby Klyne, L’Chaim Foodbank
Other benefits
In addition to ‘doing the right thing’ with regards to surplus edible food, there are other benefits too, with regards to sustainability. Alexander Beck, Social Impact & Sustainability Advisor for Kellanova, says “we have ambitious global sustainability goals including commitments on reducing food waste so the donations we make to FareShare contribute to that.”
Alexander also commented that the relationship has been beneficial to Kellanova employees as well; “Employees have always been fully supportive of the decision. Many people have also taken the opportunity to go and volunteer at FareShare Greater Manchester too and always come back saying how shocked they are about the amount of variety of products that have been donated. I think, when you see it all filling the warehouse, it really makes you stand back and think that if it hadn’t been donated then it would have gone to waste which would have been unforgivable really”.
Advice for other food producers
Finally, we asked Alexander what advice he would have for any other food manufacturers or suppliers who might be considering donating their surplus edible food to us?
“I would recommend donating to FareShare Greater Manchester as it makes such a difference to people in need in the region. It might involve creating new processes and overcoming a few challenges along the way but anything is possible with the mindset to create positive changes for people and planet.
Thank you to Kellanova for your continued support for FareShare Greater Manchester!
Throughout the summer, we are saying a big ‘thank you’ to the companies who supply us with the food we redistribute to our community food members (over 300 charities and community groups). This time, we’re shining the spotlight on The Bread Factory.
We love giving back in whatever way we can, and knowing we can be part of FareShare’s incredible work really makes us feel proud to be Mancunian. Everyone from the bakers to the customer care team gets a sense of pride when they see what their hard work has contributed to, and they can see that they’re making a real difference to those around them – The Bread Factory
The Bread Factory
The Bread Factory Manchester is an artisan bakery based in Openshaw, just a stone’s throw from FareShare Greater Manchester. It has supplied 7.6 tonnes of bread products to us to date which it freshly produces and delivers on a daily basis.
Daryl Ross, Head of Sales, explains why the bakery chose to support FareShare Greater Manchester in this way: “Part of our company’s ethos is ‘community’, which includes our team members within the business but of course the community outside our bakeries too. We love giving back in whatever way we can, and knowing we can be part of FareShare’s incredible work really makes us feel proud to be Mancunian. Everyone from the bakers to the customer care team gets a sense of pride when they see what their hard work has contributed to, and they can see that they’re making a real difference to those around them.”
Combating food waste
One of the benefits of sending surplus food to FareShare rather than seeing it going to waste means that food producers are able to deal with food waste in an ethical way. The dual benefits of not discarding edible food to landfill or animal feed while being able to do something beneficial for the community is a win-win situation. Daryl Ross agrees, “We hate food waste! And our bread is so amazing, it’s just fantastic to share it with everyone. We have to make excess bread due to our processes, so it helps us keep it out of the bins, and sends it somewhere for good use.”
The Bread Factory doesn’t just support FareShare Greater Manchester, it has gone on to work with other organisations doing important work in the wider community. “We have recently worked with Booths to contribute 14p to every loaf we sell to them to Cure Leukemia, supplying a dedicated nurse to the North West. We love to shout about our work with FareShare so it pushes other companies to do the same, in whatever form they may be able to,” continues Daryl.
Sustainability goals
She adds that by sending surplus bread our way, it helps the bakery hit its sustainability goals: “It creates less waste for our bakers to take care of, helping to reduce landfill and food recycling, as well as our carbon footprint! FareShare is two minutes’ drive from us, so we don’t need to travel far to do some good. We are deeply invested in nourishing our communities by providing wholesome, delicious bread that makes a difference. We actually have a sustainability report for you to read on our website!”
By supporting FareShare with this regular delivery, The Bread Factory has seen a positive impact on staff morale. Daryl says colleagues are really engaged “they genuinely care about how we help the community and others around us, whether it be Manchester or further afield. It’s great to show them what they do, matters.”
Advice for other food producers
We asked Daryl what advice she would give to other food producers considering donating their surplus food to FareShare Greater Manchester; “Just give it a go! Anything helps, even if it’s sharing posts and spreading the word about FareShare. The FareShare team are lovely, and here to help you as much as possible! Nothing is too much for them and seeing the quarterly report and how you have helped is worth it.”
Thanks so much to Daryl and everyone at The Bread Factory for your continued support for FareShare Greater Manchester!
