You may have recently read about our fabulous Volunteer Awards which took place at our Manchester Warehouse last month. One of the awards presented during the event was the FareShare UK Perfect Pair. This honour was awarded to husband-and-wife team Ged and Julie Donnelly.
Ged and Julie began volunteering at FareShare during the Covid pandemic. They initially joined the Southampton team but later relocated to the North West. After the move, they started volunteering with FareShare Greater Manchester. Working as a team, Ged serves as a volunteer delivery van driver, while Julie assists him as his driver’s assistant.
Three weeks ago, on Budget Day, a special celebration took place at the Houses of Parliament. The event marked the 30th birthday of FareShare UK. Ged and Julie were among five volunteers chosen to represent FareShare’s network. Two representatives came from Brighton, and one travelled from Liverpool. The event was held at the Terrace Pavillion at the side of the River Thames and was hosted by Rt Hon Lord Newby OBE.
On being chosen for this honour, Ged and Julie said “It was really good to go and meet other FareShare volunteers and hear all the speeches.” They went on to say “volunteering like this is good for us, it gives us structure to our week now we are retired and it’s great to make a difference – we enjoy it.”
In addition to the reception held to celebrate the 30th Anniversary of FareShare UK, an early day motion was tabled in Parliament:
“That this House congratulates FareShare, the UK’s leading food redistribution charity, on its 30th anniversary; applauds FareShare for redistributing the equivalent of 135 million meals last year, equating to four meals per second, to over 8,000 frontline charities and community groups in almost every constituency across the UK; recognises the charity’s significant social return on investment, delivering £13 in savings for every £1 spent through benefits to individuals and the state; and urges the Government to work with the charitable food redistribution sector to implement effective measures that further reduce food waste, increase surplus food redistribution to those in need, and strengthen communities throughout the United Kingdom, as the need for such collaboration is more pressing than ever.”
Early Day Motion 277
This trip down to the Houses of Parliament by our very own ‘Perfect Pair’ was a fitting end to our volunteer celebrations for this year. It just goes to show that you never know where volunteering could take you!
If you would like to find out more about volunteering opportunities at FareShare Greater Manchester, please get in touch.
You can call: 0161 223 8200 and choose Option 6 or send us an email to volunteering@faresharegm.org.uk
Last month, we were delighted to host our annual Volunteer Awards recognition at FareShare Greater Manchester’s Maynard House Warehouse. These awards are part of FareShare UK’s Volunteer Awards Recognition programme, celebrating the incredible contributions of volunteers.
In 2023, our incredible team donated over 21,000 hours to help redistribute surplus food to people in need. Their dedication and commitment, makes our work possible.
The week featured special lunches, presentations, and awards recognising long service and outstanding contributions..
Each year, FareShare UK hosts the ‘Volunteer’s Celebration,’ an event which recognises and appreciates the contributions that volunteers make to the operation of FareShare across the UK. In August, our volunteers were asked to nominate their fellow volunteers for the FareShare UK Awards. It was a very competitive year. FareShare UK received 162 nominations with three winners from FareShare Greater Manchester.
Ged & Julie Donnelly won the FareShare ‘Perfect Pair’ Award. Ged is a volunteer delivery driver and Julie assists him. Tom Shephard and Chrissie Clarke received Highly Commended awards for their contribution to FareShare Greater Manchester’s operation.
In our own local celebrations there were many other awards handed out including specially printed Hi-Vis vests for our volunteers who celebrated either 4 years, 5 years or 10 years of long service. Also awarded were Babu Raj for the Rain, Hail or Shine Award, Andy Stobbie for the Ray of Sunshine Award, Sacha Girling for the Rising Star Volunteer Award, Dorothy for the Customer Care Award, John Barrett for the Best Buddy Award & Caroline Leedham for the All Rounder Volunteer Award.
We’re incredibly fortunate to have such a dedicated group of volunteers. Thank you for all that you do!
If you would like to find out more about volunteering with FareShare Greater Manchester, please get in touch!
Call 0161 223 8200 Option 6 or email volunteering@faresharegm.org.uk.
FareShare Greater Manchester couldn’t do the amazing work we do without our brilliant volunteer delivery driver team. Last year, we rescued 1,929 tonnes of surplus food from going to waste. We redistributed it to 306 charities across Greater Manchester. That food is equal to 4.6 million meals. Most of it was delivered by our super volunteer delivery drivers.
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
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.
“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.
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!”
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!
Children from three Greater Manchester primary schools have sold fruit and vegetables they grew themselves to raise funds for FareShare. The pupils from Abbott Community Primary School in Collyhurst, Primrose Hill Primary School in Salford and Rodney House School in Longsight cultivated fruit, vegetables and herbs in partnership with School Food Matters and an educational farm just outside Manchester.
The children first planted their vegetable seeds in April and since then, have been learning new skills around food production and selling. The expertly grown produce included potatoes, carrots, onions, swedes and apples as well as lots of herbs and even some fresh eggs. They sold their produce from stalls on Market Street in Manchester city centre last Friday.
Young Marketeers is a food education programme which gives pupils the chance to grow food and then sell what they have produced. During each project, the charity ‘School Food Matters’ runs educational sessions for the children with expert gardeners, chefs and programme leaders on topics such as food production and waste, how to grow and harvest food and tips on how to sell produce in local markets.
Pupils have the chance to get their hands dirty with gardening and seed sowing sessions, learn about marketing and finally interact with the public as they sell what they have produced. By donating the money they made on the stalls to FareShare, they have also learned about the importance of supporting local food charities and combating food waste. Learn more here on our broader approach to combating hunger through community engagement.
The children did a fantastic job of selling their produce to passers-by and chatting to them about where the food had come from. They handled the money, giving the correct change to their customers and bagging up what people had bought.
All of the money raised by the Manchester stalls – an amazing amount of almost £350 has been donated to FareShare Greater Manchester. Thanks so much to Abbott Community School, Primrose Hill Primary School & Rodney House School for doing such a fantastic job!
It’s been a week since we held our annual Volunteers Week celebration barbecue at FareShare Greater Manchester. More than thirty attendees joined the event to celebrate the fantastic work they do for us.
Despite the recent wet weather, we were lucky enough to enjoy sunshine at our Maynard House headquarters. We fired up the barbecue and got it ready for action. Participants and staff mingled in our canteen and spilled out into our garden. They enjoyed each other’s company and the fabulous array of food on offer.
The highlight of the event was a special presentation made to our volunteers on behalf of the Lord Mayor of Manchester, Cllr Paul Andrews, in recognition of the work they do to support FareShare Greater Manchester. The volunteer teams from the warehouse, office, FareShare Plus, our evening team, our drivers and volunteers from our sister organisation Touch Wood, were all presented with certificates from the Lord Mayor by our CEO, Lucy Danger and Head of Volunteering, Liz Lauder.
Our volunteers are all amazing and without them we would not be able to support more than 300 charity food partners with 5 million meals each year.
Find out more about volunteering opportunities with FareShare Greater Manchester.
Cllr Paul Andrews, the Lord Mayor of Manchester had this message to all volunteers serving the community of Manchester during Volunteers’ Week 2024:
Volunteers Week took place from 3–9 June. We used the opportunity to celebrate the invaluable contributions of everyone who gives their time to support FareShare Greater Manchester. We couldn’t do what we do without them.
This year, we highlighted a range of volunteer roles – including our increasingly popular corporate volunteer opportunities in Greater Manchester, where employees from local businesses join us for a day of team-based volunteering.
We regularly welcome corporate teams into our warehouse to take part in a structured volunteering day. These sessions are designed to help businesses engage their employees in meaningful work, build stronger teams and contribute to tackling food poverty and waste across the region.
Each volunteering day begins with an induction and training session, followed by hands-on work such as picking food orders and loading vans for delivery. After a lunch made from surplus food, volunteers often join our drivers on deliveries, giving them the chance to see first-hand the impact they’re making in the community.
These corporate volunteer opportunities offer clear benefits to both FareShare GM and our partners. We receive much-needed hands-on support in our warehouse and on the road, while companies gain a powerful CSR experience and a deeper understanding of social and environmental issues.
Some participants even enjoy the day so much that they return as regular volunteers!
At the end of each volunteering session, we ask teams to reflect on their experience. Many tell us they found the day eye-opening and rewarding and often leave with a fresh perspective on food waste, poverty and community support.
If your business is looking for ways to give back locally, our corporate volunteer opportunities in Greater Manchester offer a flexible, impactful way to get involved. Whether you’re a small team or a large company, we can tailor the experience to suit your needs and schedule.
We are seeking support from the business community across the region to help us continue supporting those people for whom hunger is an everyday reality. Here, at FareShare Greater Manchester, we believe that together we can:
By becoming a corporate partner of FareShare Greater Manchester, you will be alleviating hunger, tackling food waste AND will help engage your colleagues and clients, create positive PR opportunities and help your company achieve its CSR and Sustainability objectives.
We are, in essence, a small charity creating a big impact in the communities across the region.
It’s Volunteers Week from 3-9 June and we couldn’t do what we do without our amazing team of volunteers. This week, we’re highlighting some of our volunteer roles to showcase the work they do:
You hear about food insecurity and food poverty on the news. You read the statistics, but meeting these organisations and hearing about their amazing work makes you see it for real. This volunteering role keeps me grounded. I can go home after a day’s work, have a bath, and there’s food in the cupboard.
Sally
FareShare Plus Volunteer
Sally, a retired primary school headteacher, has been volunteering for FareShare Greater Manchester for more than 3 ½ years. After her retirement, Sally was looking for a new purpose. She wanted to give something back.
In teaching, Sally saw the impact of food insecurity and poverty on not only the children but the parents too. Her school’s policy was that no child should begin the day without food, so it provided wraparound care with breakfast and afterschool clubs.
As a ‘Green Flag School’ it followed environmental guidelines for reuse and recycling, (food waste being one of those issues). Some of her pupils visited FareShare Greater Manchester on a school trip. They looked at the redistribution of surplus food and other operations at our warehouse.
Retiring in the middle of the pandemic, Sally felt that by volunteering for FareShare Greater Manchester, she could do something positive. She knew how hard it can be to enlist the help of volunteers in schools. Sally imagined it was hard for charities too. She met our head of volunteering, Liz, and says on the first day she knew, “I need to do this!”
Sally believes it was only natural that she should become a volunteer for FareShare Greater Manchester. We share the same ethos of supporting families and the wider community, combating food waste and education.
Volunteering here has been a complete change from her previous career. She moved from working in a school environment to warehouse work in all weathers. However, Sally, a FareShare Plus volunteer, really enjoys it. “I love meeting people. I enjoy chatting to the charities and organisations who come to FareShare Plus to collect the food. They come from all walks of life and different backgrounds. It’s fascinating to hear about the work they’re doing in their own communities. You only hear about the big charities on the news, but the work the grassroots charities are doing is so important.”
Sally’s previous teaching and management skills have been transferable to her current role in FareShare Plus. However, all volunteers receive full training before they begin. This training includes food safety, manual handling, and other aspects involved in the role. Sally says the encouragement volunteers are given is brilliant. “Lots of volunteers go on to secure paid roles both here at FareShare and elsewhere. It helps improve your CV and really boosts your confidence. Many people come to volunteer after being out of work for a time. It can be a stepping stone to something else.”
Another benefit for Sally was physical. “My fitness levels went up. Volunteering here two days a week meant I didn’t need to go to the gym!” She also says it puts a lot of things into perspective for her. “You hear about food insecurity and food poverty on the news. You read the statistics, but to meet these organisations and hear about the amazing work they are doing makes you see it for real. This volunteering role keeps me grounded. I can go home after a day’s work, have a bath, and there’s food in the cupboard. Not everyone is as fortunate as that.”
Sally’s service to FareShare Greater Manchester was recognised in 2023 in a special FareShare UK Volunteers Celebration. “I was honoured to be nominated for the FareShare UK Volunteer Awards last year for Leadership in Volunteering – and I won it! The FareShare Plus team was also nominated for an award and won.”
If you are considering volunteering, Sally has this advice: “Do it! You need to be committed, but there’s flexibility to make the role work around you and your needs. Different personalities suit different jobs. The role can be tailor-made for you. I’m really sociable and love meeting all the customers. Other people prefer a job in the warehouse preparing the food for dispatch instead. You get out of it what you put in.”
She continues, “Come and work for someone who appreciates you! Our volunteers are well looked after. There are lunches, a cage of food if you need something for yourself, and lots of training. It gives you the confidence to push yourself out of your comfort zone, especially if you have not been working for a while.”
It’s Volunteers Week from 3-9 June and we couldn’t do what we do without our amazing team of volunteers. This week, we’re highlighting some of our volunteer roles to showcase the work they do:
“I hate seeing food waste, so that’s the number one priority, I think, for the whole organisation”
Nick
Volunteer van driver for FareShare Greater Manchester
Nick has been volunteering as a driver for FareShare Greater Manchester for almost 3 years. After retiring, he felt the need to contribute and decided to dedicate one day a week to volunteering. “I come here most Mondays, and occasionally, when they’re desperate, I’ll come in if I’ve not got anything else on – like a round of golf – then I’ll do another day, but mostly, I do Mondays.”
Every day is different when you’re driving a van for FareShare, but the structure of the days are the same. Nick says his average day starts early, “I’m here normally by half past 7, but we usually finish around 3”. In the middle of the day, once the first round of deliveries is complete, “I get back here for an hour or so and load up the van a second time.”
The benefits of regularly volunteering for FareShare are many, says Nick volunteer van driver. “It’s good exercise, it’s not too strenuous, and the people are very nice.” He continues, “I hate seeing food waste, so that’s the number one priority, I think, for the whole organisation. Making sure that food goes to those who need it, it’s as simple as that.”
FareShare Greater Manchester is looking for more volunteer van drivers to help deliver the food to those who need it most. Our delivery drivers are vital to the work we do. Drivers make sure our food gets delivered to charity members across Greater Manchester. You must be over 21 to do this role, have a full, clean licence and recent, relevant, and regular van driving experience.
For anyone considering getting involved, Nick has this advice: “Give it a go! I started with a friend of mine and we drive the van together, so we have a bit of fun on a Monday, but even when I’m on my own, its very rewarding – it’s good fun. It gets me up in the morning and I enjoy the day, I enjoy the people”.
If reading our Nick Volunteer van driver story has got you thinking about volunteering, please get in touch!
It’s Volunteers Week from 3-9 June. We couldn’t do what we do without our amazing team of volunteers. This week, we’re highlighting some of our volunteer roles to showcase the work they do:
Karin, originally from Scotland, has spent much of her life in Manchester. She worked as a team manager at IBM for more than 18 years. After leaving IBM, she followed her passion for travelling the world to teach English. This new career path saw her volunteering in Africa, India, and Central America. She returned to Manchester in 2009.
Soon after her return, Karin started volunteering with FareShare Greater Manchester. “I love food and am environmentally aware and very conscious about not wasting food. So I Googled ‘food charities’ and FareShare Greater Manchester popped up,” she says.
Karin’s first role with us involved working in the warehouse. However, her career experience in finance and project management made her better suited to fundraising. During the 15 years Karin has been with us, she has raised hundreds of thousands of pounds.
The best thing about volunteering for FareShare Greater Manchester
“It has to be the people you meet – they’re a great bunch with a great ethos. They’re funny and there’s a good diversity of people” says Karin.
Most of Karin’s time with us is spent applying for grants. Each grant application is different, with varying expectations and requirements. To simplify the process, Karin started using AI to help write the applications.
Highlights of her time volunteering
Karin finds it gratifying to see more people becoming aware of us now. She says, “Fundraising and applying to charitable trusts and foundations is a tough process. It’s very gratifying to see the number of people who set themselves a challenge individually to raise funds for us.” Many people have run marathons and undertaken various sporting challenges to raise funds for FareShare Greater Manchester.
Karin says she has had many conversations about volunteering over the years and has this advice; “find something that interests you, something that you have a connection with”.
Despite being retired, Karin keeps very busy volunteering for several charities around the Greater Manchester area. In addition to her work with us, Karin has volunteered in a school, a hospital shop, as a respite carer and as a volunteer gardener too.
If reading Karin’s story has got you thinking about volunteering, please get in touch!
It was Volunteers Week from 3-9th June. We couldn’t do what we do without our amazing team of volunteers. This week, we’re highlighting some of our volunteer roles to showcase the work they do:
“It’s really hectic, but it’s great! I love the camaraderie here!”
Claire
Warehouse Volunteer
Claire joined us in September 2020 as a warehouse volunteer. She says she heard about FareShare Greater Manchester at the right time; “I saw something in the papers about FareShare when I was just about to retire. I thought, ‘I need to do something with all this new free time’. This looked good and I thought that I should explore it.”
On an average day in the warehouse Claire helps prepare the food orders ready for the delivery drivers to do their rounds. There’s never a dull moment Claire tells us, “It’s hectic. I usually get in early and it’s really hectic but it’s great! I love the camaraderie in here!”
Our warehouse volunteers are at the heart of what we do. Our team is responsible for sorting, storing and recording the food we get delivered to our warehouse. They also assemble food orders for our community food members across Greater Manchester. Every day is different and our volunteers are part of a fun, welcoming team. There’s something for people of all abilities!
The work our volunteers contribute to support what FareShare Greater Manchester does is invaluable to us. There are more charities and community groups reaching out to us and asking for help every week. Claire says she knows how important her volunteering role is, “We are more than aware of food poverty these days and the need for food banks unfortunately. Somebody needs to be able to supply all those food banks and we do what we can to help”.
Since signing up as a warehouse volunteer with us, Claire’s been spreading the word and encouraging others to give it a go. “Quite a few friends have joined FareShare since I started, one in FareShare Plus and some on the floor here as well. It’s very rewarding. It’s hard work, but it’s very rewarding and I really enjoy it because we are all similarly minded. It’s good fun!”
If hearing Claire’s story has got you thinking about volunteering, please get in touch!