One of those drivers is Martyn Spray. Martyn is a retired primary school headteacher who first volunteered with us after taking early retirement from education. He now works three days a week, distributing food to our Community Food Partners across Greater Manchester.
We joined Martyn on one of his deliveries to learn more about his work with FareShare. Also, to find out why he decided to volunteer with us.
As a driver, I get to chat with other volunteers as we drive around the region. Who would have thought that I could meet people with experiences from all over the world, without leaving my cab! I have also had the opportunity to improve my driving skills and am now a qualified HGV driver, all because I started volunteering for FareShare!
– Martyn, FareShare Greater Manchester delivery driver
An early start for our volunteer delivery driver
7:30am – Martyn’s workday starts bright and early. He arrives at our warehouse in New Smithfield Market, ready to load the van. His task includes preparing for five deliveries to the Wigan area of Greater Manchester.
“My day begins around 7:30am, when I collect the keys and do a vehicle check. Next, I pick up the driver board. This helps me find out where I will be delivering or collecting surplus food. I also chat with the warehouse team. We check if a volunteer driver’s assistant will join me for the day’s rounds.”
“The next step is to decide upon the most efficient route and load up the vehicle ready for the morning. This normally takes an hour or so, then it’s off we go. The charities we deal with are spread far and wide. Sometimes, it’s inner city Manchester or the suburbs. Other times, it’s out to Glossop, New Mills, Macclesfield,Wigan and everywhere in between!”
Crates of food from aubergines to crisps, frozen spaghetti carbonara to cornflakes were loaded onboard before the important job of sorting through the paperwork ahead of the deliveries. Once everything was in order, it was time to hit the road.
9:00am – En route to Wigan, Martyn chatted about how he ended up working for FareShare Greater Manchester as a delivery driver.
“I chose to become a volunteer delivery driver for FareShare in January 2019, having mostly worked indoors for the majority of my career, I wanted a different office every day. Helping others and meeting a wide variety of people in different parts of Greater Manchester, seemed a great opportunity.”
During lockdown, Martyn also worked as a delivery driver for a supermarket, he now works for FareShare three days a week.
What do you get out of driving for FareShare?
“Delivering to the charities is one of the most rewarding aspects of the role. Not only do I see how the excess food is used efficiently and avoids waste, but I also get to chat with a wide range of people. This interaction helps in numerous ways to support others. It’s great to talk to inspiring individuals working for the good of their neighbours and an opportunity to learn about the different communities in our region.” Martyn continued, “through driving for FareShare Greater Manchester, I have learnt so much about the food industry, food hygiene, logistics and various communities across Greater Manchester.”
10:25am – Saw us in Wigan, to make deliveries to Fur Clemt, Wigan Youth Zone (pictured below, left & centre) and three more of our community food members. It was great to see where the food was going and meet the organisations working with their local communities. At each destination, I completed the paperwork. This included noting the time of delivery, the temperature of the refrigerated unit on the vehicle, and obtaining a signature from the person receiving the delivery.
FareShare Greater Manchester supplied food either by delivery or collection to more than 300 charities and community organisations last year including to food banks, schools and community kitchens.
Heading back to FareShare HQ
On our return journey to New Smithfield Market, Martyn shared more about the opportunities he has enjoyed while driving for FareShare Greater Manchester. “As a volunteer delivery driver, I get to chat with other volunteers as we drive around the region. Who would have thought I could meet people with experiences from all over the world without leaving my cab? I have also had the opportunity to improve my driving skills and am now a qualified HGV driver, all because I started volunteering for FareShare!”
1:00pm – Back at base, Martyn takes a lunch break. After that, he loads the van once more before heading out for an afternoon round of deliveries. Our time with Martyn had come to an end. Before waving him off on his next round of deliveries, we asked one final question: What would you say to someone who is thinking of volunteering with us as a volunteer delivery driver? His reply was to the point, “It’s a no brainer! DO IT!”
Thinking of volunteering with FareShare Greater Manchester?
We could not do what we do without our wonderful volunteers. Currently we need more volunteer delivery drivers to get the food out to those who need it most. If you’ve been inspired by Martyn’s story and want to find out more, please click on the button below. Full training is given to all our volunteers for the roles they take up and we’d love to hear from you!
