FareShare South West

Yesterday’s budget announcement brought many positives for people living with food poverty. ·       £1bn next year to extend the Household Support Fund and hardship payments ·       £30m more for free school breakfast clubs ·       £5bn from 2024 – 2026 to support a more productive and environmentally sustainable agricultural sector in England FareShare South West CEO Lucy Bearn and Chair of Trustees Andy Street were at the heart of the action, joining FareShare UK’s parliamentary reception to celebrate FareShare’s 30th birthday. Former FareShare UK CEO George Wright spoke powerfully about the need for the UK to catch up with other nations, and bring in reforms to rescue the billions of meals’ worth of food that goes to waste each year. We look forward to seeing how the £5bn funding announced for DEFRA will be spent. Thank you to Daniel Zeichner, Minister for Rural Affairs and Food Security, for his generous words about FareShare South West: he spoke about how the first-hand experience of seeing our Central Bristol warehouse brought home to him the power and professionalism of our operation. Thanks too to Fred Thomas, Plymouth Moor View MP, who popped in to say hello despite the very busy day of budget announcements! #budget2024 #budget #costofliving #sustaibility

Earlier this month, this brave bunch of 10 took on the challenge of abseiling down a stunning 30-meter drop at Avon Gorge - questioning their sanity along the way! 🧗 Huge shoutout to our very own FunComms team for gearing up and facing their fears, joined by Tristan Hogg, our Trustee and the CEO of Pieminister (yes, that’s a human-sized pie box you see!). We were also thrilled to have volunteers from Enlightened, Focus Accountancy, and Grosvenor Consultancy join the adventure. Together, this incredible group raised £6,072 - enough to provide a fantastic 24,288 meals to those hardest hit by the cost-of-living crisis. We’re so proud of this courageous crew for making a real difference! 💚

Last week, we had the pleasure of welcoming Fred Thomas, the new MP for Plymouth Moor View, to our Sisna Park warehouse. His constituency is home to our Plymouth site and 20 fantastic local charities that we support with food. With demand for support like ours ever on the rise, we had powerful discussions about the challenges facing families in our community and how we can all work together to tackle them. We’re thrilled to see our local leaders prioritising food poverty and keeping it high on the national agenda. We look forward to collaborating and making a real difference in our community!🍏

Celia Chan is a talented cookbook author, content creator, and food stylist... and just so happens to be one of our volunteers! ✨ After moving to the UK from Hong Kong, Celia and her husband Hoi have spent the past year volunteering with us, while also delivering cooking classes across the globe. Together, they’ve contributed over 198 hours - equivalent of delivering more than 14,000 meals to those in need across the south west. This #InternationalChefsDay, we’re celebrating Celia, whose motto “Love what you do, do what you love” drives her passion for food and giving back to the community. Earlier this year, she even hosted a Chinese New Year Cooking Class for our volunteers, using ingredients from our warehouse to bring everyone together through food. 🥟🧧 We’re incredibly lucky to have Celia and Hoi on our team, their dedication and generosity inspire us all! 💚

Meet Florence, our talented intern with a flair for creating flavourful, budget-friendly recipes! Earlier this year, we welcomed Florence, a third-year Nutrition, Exercise, and Health student, to our Plymouth warehouse for a month-long internship. Inspired by our rescued food, she’s crafted a collection of delicious recipes that won’t break the bank! “I wanted to show that cooking doesn’t have to be complicated or time-consuming, and you don’t need to spend a lot on specialty ingredients to enjoy tasty, nutritious meals.” Florence believes everyone deserves access to affordable food and at least one hot meal a day to thrive – and we agree. At FareShare South West, we’re proud to host student placements because they bring fresh ideas, diverse perspectives, and energy to our operations. These experiences not only benefit the students but also enhance our mission to reduce food waste and support the community. So, we’re excited to share one of Florence's recipes on our website - spice up your taste buds with her Sweet Potato and Black Bean Curry! 🍠🌱 https://buff.ly/4eTDi7a

It’s World Mental Health Day and this year’s theme is all about ‘workplace mental health’, highlighting how vital it is to nurture our wellbeing at work for the benefit of individuals, organisations and communities. Laura’s story is a powerful reminder why putting yourself first is important. 🌱 Laura makes her mental health a priority, inside and outside of work. Laura stays mindful through yoga, nature walks, plant-keeping and cycling. Feeling unfulfilled in her old job, she packed her bags and made the bold decision to move to a whole new city to seek something more meaningful. She volunteered with us for a while, before securing a full-time job as our Community Food Operations Coordinator, and now Warehouse Supervisor! Through her journey, Laura discovered that social connection is key to maintaining mental health, both at work and in life. This World Mental Health Day, take a leaf out of Laura’s book and remember that it’s okay to put yourself first, and to embrace connections that help you thrive! 🤝 Thank you for sharing your story, Laura. It takes courage to be vulnerable, and it inspires us all 💚

Help us add our savings and subtract food waste! 💰🍏 Join our friendly team to ensure accurate financial reporting while supporting our mission to prevent food waste in the South West. You’ll collaborate closely with our CEO and Board of Trustees, playing a key role in our 3-year strategy. We welcome diverse applicants, including LGBTQIA+ individuals and those with disabilities. Join us in making a difference! Keen as a bean? 🌱 Application details are on our website. Deadline is before midnight on October 27th! https://buff.ly/3XUEXSj

Tomorrow alongside some wonderful supporters representing Focus Accountancy Ltd, Grosvenor Consultancy Limited and Enlightened, ALL of my fabulous fundraising and communication colleagues are jumping off the Avon Gorge to raise funds to support FareShare South West's mission to stop people going hungry in the south west. You can support any or all of these brilliant individuals: Yesterday, with one space left to fill, the brilliant Georgia Langley who is organising the event jumped(!) to the challenge and signed up to fundraise herself... https://lnkd.in/ej7rqSU9 Susie Day is our wonderful Head of Communications and is putting her money where her mouth is... https://lnkd.in/eN7Z-2wC Roxanne Welch only joined the FSSW team a couple of months ago, and is totally dedicated and already prepared to throw herself off a cliff for the cause... https://lnkd.in/eJT_5UZB And Zephyr Giddings, recently promoted into our team, not content with wading through mud and over obstacles this time last year, is at it again... https://lnkd.in/eJ_EJNE2 And last, but by no means least. Tristan Hogg one of our amazing trustees and co-founder of the very tasty Pieminister is also taking on the challenge. Dressed as a pie no less... https://lnkd.in/endDw27w Thank you all for being so brilliant. P.S. I will be waiting for you at the bottom.

Congratulations to Re:work Ltd for winning the September 2024 GRIN Micro-Award! Re:work is one the charities who receive a weekly food delivery from us. They're based in Knowle West, Bristol, an area of multiple deprivation classified as among the 10% most disadvantaged nationally. Since 1999, the charity has supported young people and young offenders aged 12-18 who are excluded from school or at risk of exclusion. They also work with young adults aged 18-25 who are experiencing long-term unemployment. Re:work's aim is to raise aspiration, support and encourage integration with the local community, ensure opportunities for employment and a offer a brighter future for young people who would otherwise have very limited prospects. We know this £250 grant will be well spent supporting local young people. Fingers crossed for next month! 🤞

This Sunday, 11 dedicated members from our valued partner, TOUT'S Group., will be running the #CardiffHalfMarathon to raise £5,000 for their MADL (Making A Difference Locally) fund. Through their partnership with wholesaler NisaLocally and ourselves, this fund helps provide meals for local families facing food poverty. It's shocking that over 14 million people in the UK live in poverty, including 8.3 million working adults, 4.6 million children, and 1.6 million pensioners. TOUT’s Group is fully committed to making a difference in our local communities. They’ve trained hard and are on the final stretch. You can support their cause and help fight food poverty by donating here: https://buff.ly/3zMdgmI Good luck to the team, we know you’ve got this! 👏💪