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 Hartshead Meats donations.
It’s a no brainer. Why dispose of excess product or keep it longer than necessary when you can support your local community in making an active difference? It’s crucial to be aware of the challenges charities face in having a supply of food for those less fortunate, get involved and help! – Hartshead Meats
Meat is one food type which can be hard for us to source and protein is incredibly important to people trying to provide well balanced, nutritious meals for their families. Our partnership with Hartshead Meat is very important to us as it helps us provide a wider range of food for our community food members. Since they started supplying us, Hartshead Meat has given us just over a tonne of meat.
The motivation behind the decision to start donating surplus meat
The company says, “we felt as an evolving business that we have a responsibility to give something back to the local environment. We have been long-term admirers of the work done locally by FareShare. Work that has been brought to the forefront by individuals such as Marcus Rashford through campaigning to ensure no children are going to bed hungry. This prompted us to do our bit in contributing to feed the homeless and provide meals to those less fortunate.”
The positives of donating food to FareShare
“The key benefit for us is knowing that we are making a difference locally, knowing that our small-to-medium sized business is having a large impact on the lives of those in need across Manchester, Stockport, Bolton, Oldham, Warrington and Wigan through the data FareShare provided us with. Given our close proximity to Oldham, this information provides us with a great sense of pride given that we are a family run business.”
Until recently, Hartshead Meat had kept their donations to FareShare private, however they feel it’s important to speak about this kind of work so colleagues are aware of what the company is doing for the wider community; “We have to this point preferred to remain anonymous in our donations as we felt that this was the best way to proceed. However, as the relationship grows with FareShare and we can see the positive impact our donations are having with the local communities, we are very proud of the fact that we support local charities and we feel it is important to make them aware of our responsibilities to the local community when they join the team.”
They continued: “when a new employee joins the team we make them aware of our commitment to supporting local charities, this certainly engages the employee in understanding what we want to achieve as a business. Our staff are all aware of our donations in house and the team as a whole are proud to help the local beneficiaries.”
A sustainable alternative to food waste disposal
We believe that good food is best eaten, not thrown away. Giving surplus food to charity with FareShare Greater Manchester 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 you donate food to charity at FareShare Greater Manchester, you support a food waste charity and help fight hunger in your community.
Hartshead Meats says that this is an important part of why they donate their surplus meat to us; “Sustainability is crucial throughout our entire process, from ensuring animals graze rich farmland to having the customer base to ensure we can balance the entire carcass. As FareShare is so local to us here, the road miles are minimal allowing us to support a great charity whilst ensuring our CO2 emissions are limited, thus reducing our carbon footprint”.
Advice for other food suppliers
Hartshead Meats says it would wholeheartedly encourage other food manufacturers and suppliers to support FareShare in this way:
“It’s a no brainer. Why dispose of excess product or keep it longer than necessary when you can support your local community in making an active difference? It’s crucial to be aware of the challenges charities face in having a supply of food for those less fortunate, get involved and help!”
Thank you Hartshead Meats for your continued support for FareShare Greater Manchester!
