WRAP, a leading environmental charity, has played a key part in helping FareShare double the amount of food delivered during the pandemic. The total funding of more than £1,000,000, provided through the Resource Action Fund and Covid-19 Emergency Surplus Food Grant, has supported FareShare in 16 regions across England. These grants ensured vulnerable people had access to much-needed meals at a time of urgent need.
“WRAP has been incredible. In the past year, the support has had a direct impact on our capacity to source, store and deliver food. Their support is felt across FareShare in Leeds, Sussex, East Anglia, Greater Manchester and many more regions.”
Kristopher Gibbon-Walsh, UK Director of Network and Operations, FareShare
The funding, managed by WRAP on behalf of DEFRA, has helped to overcome different obstacles in each region. It made it possible for FareShare to manage the increased volumes of food that came through warehouse doors. It funded additional warehouse space in Sussex, an industrial freezer in the Midlands and a new forklift truck in East Anglia. The money also helped pay for much-needed refrigeration units, extra warehouse staff and PPE in various locations.
With FareShare and WRAP both committed to tackling food waste, the charities share a strong partnership and work closely in many ways. FareShare and WRAP have collaborated to raise awareness of food waste and to help find solutions to stop food waste in the produce sector. Aligned missions have given the charities an opportunity to share best practice and form a wider understanding together.
As the UK takes its next steps out of lockdown, FareShare looks forward to continue working with WRAP. Thanks to WRAP’s support, FareShare finds itself in a much stronger position, across many areas of the UK, to ensure that good-to-eat surplus food continues to be used to feed people and not end up as animal feed, left rotting in the ground or in landfill.
