23/12/21
VOLUNTEERING HEROES:
A SPOTLIGHT ON FARESHARE
SUSSEX
FareShare Sussex began in 2002,
initially as a project feeding homeless people across Brighton and
Hove. Over the last 19 years we have grown incrementally in response to
need. In 2014, we joined the FareShare UK network and today we have a
fleet of 5 vans and one e-cargo bike delivering food across Sussex and
Surrey.
Our work
addresses both food waste and hunger by redistributing food industry
surplus which would otherwise be wasted, to the people that need it
most.
We’re making sure that food gets to people who are vulnerable and
affected by food poverty. We reach hungry people of all demographics:
children living in poverty, elderly people living in isolation, victims
of domestic violence, homeless people, those fighting addiction,
disabled people, those who are unwell, ex-offenders and low-income
families struggling to put food on the table.
The number of
vulnerable people we provide food to weekly has increased to over
20,000, as has the geographical area that we serve. We now deliver to
projects across East and West Sussex and Surrey.
We’re delivering
surplus food from the food supply industries that would otherwise end up
in landfill or go to waste. We deliver to 162 community groups across
Sussex and parts of Surrey with plans to expand our reach further.
We're
empowering an army of 150 volunteers who work with us in our warehouse
to sort and pack food ready for transportation and drive the vans to
deliver it. Our diverse volunteer workforce includes ex-offenders,
asylum seekers, adults with learning disabilities, and people with
mental health issues.
We offer supported pathways and employment training to encourage volunteers back into the workforce.
We offer supported pathways and employment training to encourage volunteers back into the workforce.
96% of our volunteers say that they feel better about doing something worthwhile.
Last year, through our employ ability program, we helped 17 of them find paid work. Further to this, 96% of our volunteers say that they feel better about doing something worthwhile, which highlights the need for our volunteer-led work in the community to ultimately alleviate mental well being services.
The food we receive comes from all along the industry supply chain, from farms and manufacturers to wholesalers, supermarkets, and local bakeries. It is all good quality, in-date food that is surplus for a variety of reasons such as changes in packaging, incorrect forecasting, or labeling errors. We also receive donated food from individuals via supermarket collection points.
Last year, through our employ ability program, we helped 17 of them find paid work. Further to this, 96% of our volunteers say that they feel better about doing something worthwhile, which highlights the need for our volunteer-led work in the community to ultimately alleviate mental well being services.
The food we receive comes from all along the industry supply chain, from farms and manufacturers to wholesalers, supermarkets, and local bakeries. It is all good quality, in-date food that is surplus for a variety of reasons such as changes in packaging, incorrect forecasting, or labeling errors. We also receive donated food from individuals via supermarket collection points.
I am incredibly proud of being able to tackle food waste and fight
food poverty in Sussex and Surrey. I love working with the volunteers
and making sure they are all happy at the end of the day. They are the
true heroes and the backbone of FareShare Sussex.
Conal Quote
In July 2021, Conal took part in our FLAVOUR employability
course, Fareshare Futures. He was out of work due to health reasons and
needed a boost in confidence regarding his CV and interview techniques.
Conal really got stuck in as soon as he arrived, volunteering three days a week whilst completing the course.
In
August, he successfully completed his Level 2 Food Hygiene certificate
and decided to stay with FareShare Sussex and continue volunteering
three days a week. At the beginning of September he was nominated to
become a Lead Volunteer and, by the end of September, he was nudged
towards applying for the Warehouse Assistant role.
Conal showed extreme commitment and enthusiasm and today he’s part of the FareShare Sussex staff team full time.
Getting on board with the employability course was amazing. It
taught me a lot regarding what employers are looking for and how to go
into interviews with confidence without overthinking too much which was
an issue for me for a long time. It taught me to just be myself and play
to my strengths. In the end, it seems to have worked considering now I
work for FareShare Sussex as a Warehouse Assistant.
Conal