Surplus Food to School Children

At FareShare Greater Manchester, we work to ensure surplus food reaches the people who need it most, including local schools. By redistributing good-to-eat surplus food, we help reduce food waste while supporting pupils and communities across Greater Manchester.

When we receive large quantities of surplus food with a short shelf life, we quickly spring into action to prevent it from going to waste, finding places where it can benefit local communities. Schools can play an important role in food redistribution, helping ensure surplus food is used to support children and families rather than going to waste.

For example, in November, we received over 2,000 McDonalds Happy Meal milk bottles that were set to expire soon. With a use-by date of 22nd November, we had to act fast. We reached out to our community food members, and Westmorland Primary School responded to our call for help. Headteacher Martin Henderson was able to accept the milk on short notice and distribute it to the school’s pupils, ensuring it didn’t go to waste.

This is an example of how food donations for schools can make an immediate impact, ensuring quality food reaches children while reducing waste from the food supply chain. If you work in the food industry and have surplus food that could benefit schools or other community organisations, we encourage you to get in touch with us.

If you’re interested in working with FareShare GM to help get surplus food to schools or if you’d like to learn more about our efforts to combat food waste, please reach out to us at ruth@emergemanchester.co.uk.