A new grant of £16m has been awarded by the government to FareShare, to help meet an increased demand for food this winter from those most in need.
“We welcome the Government’s further financial support on behalf of the 11,000 frontline charities we provide food to in England, who in turn created over 3 million meals a week to help their clients at the height of the first lockdown. Both through this winter, and through the undoubtedly tough economic conditions set to impact the country this coming year, it is vital that we all work together to get help to those most in need.”
Lindsay Boswell, FareShare Chief Executive
The money will enable FareShare to purchase food from across the food industry. This food will then be delivered through FareShare’s network of regional centres to more than 4,000 frontline charities, not-for-profit organisations and community groups across England. These include homeless shelters, refuges, food banks and rehabilitation centres.
The grant funded programme aims to provide more than 7,600 tonnes of food, which is the equivalent of around 18 million meals over the next three months.
As the largest food redistribution charity in the UK, FareShare has been chose to deliver this grant because of its well-established, extensive network for delivering food. This network means FareShare can distribute the food to front line charities quickly and efficiently, and ensure adequate support is provided when and where it is needed. The £16m is an extension of a previous grant made to FareShare in the summer.
Lindsay Boswell, FareShare Chief Executive, said: “The FareShare network has been running a full time operation throughout the Covid 19 crisis, to get food to our most vulnerable communities. In England alone we have delivered food equivalent to over 57 million meals since 23 March.
“We welcome the Government’s further financial support on behalf of the 11,000 frontline charities we provide food to in England, who in turn created over 3 million meals a week to help their clients at the height of the first lockdown. Both through this winter, and through the undoubtedly tough economic conditions set to impact the country this coming year, it is vital that we all work together to get help to those most in need.”
Food Minister Victoria Prentis said: “During this difficult winter period, our frontline charities provide vital support to those most vulnerable and most impacted by the current situation. It is crucial that those organisations receive the necessary support to continue their brilliant work. In conjunction with the wider means of Government support, this grant will make a real difference for FareShare and their partner organisations, further enabling them to provide food to those who need it most.”
