Enterprise Rent-A-Car and The Global FoodBanking Network are helping to unlock good-to-eat food for thousands of families over the summer months, as the cost-of-living crisis continues to push the most vulnerable across the UK into poverty.
Following a generous £1 million donation in January, FareShare has been able to increase its capacity to source food. The support from Enterprise Rent-A-Car and The Global FoodBanking Network has already played an increasingly pivotal part in FareShare’s Surplus with Purpose Fund over the summer, covering the cost for farmers to divert good-to-eat food that would otherwise be wasted to people first.
Thanks to the support of the two key partners, the Surplus with Purpose Fund has intercepted and redistributed an impressive 3,614 tonnes of food, or the equivalent of 8.6 million meals, so far this year. The surplus food rescued has been diverse and predominantly fresh, including produce such as potatoes, swedes, butternut squash and mangoes.
Enterprise Rent-A-Car and The Global FoodBanking Network have been working hand in hand with FareShare for six years. This January, as the cost-of-living crisis hit more struggling communities, the partnership upped their annual giving to £1 million. This marks a very generous increased commitment set to continue in the upcoming years.
Simon Millard, Director of Food at FareShare, said “The ongoing partnership with Enterprise Rent-A-Car and The Global FoodBanking Network has helped put millions of meals on plates to date. They have been incredible in supporting FareShare’s efforts to increase our resource, boost our capacity to engage the food industry and distribute more food at scale.”
“The £1 million donation made by our two partners this year is being put to vital use at this moment. Over the summer months it’s playing an important role in helping FareShare to intercept hard to reach British grown fruit, such as berries and tomatoes, and will allow us to access a broad range of vegetables coming into crop this season. All of this healthy and often premium produce will be especially impactful to local food pantries or school holiday clubs over the summer.”
Simon Caughey-Rogers, UK Corporate Social Responsibility Manager at Enterprise Rent-A-Car, said: “We are so happy to support FareShare in their mission to tackle the very real problem of hunger in the UK. Food insecurity is a huge issue in many of the locations where Enterprise operates. As a family business, it is important to us that we support those local communities and the families within them. It is fantastic to see how our donation is making a difference so more people can access and enjoy healthy fresh meals.”
