WITH a shared commitment to fighting food insecurity and food waste Sodexo and FareShare have been working together since 2005 and this year is celebrating a milestone with the total financial support donated from the Sodexo Stop Hunger Foundation to FareShare reaching an amazing £1.5 million.

Over the duration of its partnership, the financial support from Sodexo has helped cover FareShare’s logistics costs which form a huge part of the charity’s operation, enabling it to increase the volume of surplus food being redistributed across its charity network, helping to redistribute the equivalent of five million meals to those in need. 

Volunteering also plays a vital role in the partnership and to mark this special milestone Sodexo employees, clients and suppliers recently took part in volunteering with FareShare and its partners at locations across the UK. In total 76 volunteers clocked up over 350 hours of volunteering over an eight-day period with their efforts resulting in the equivalent of 25,754 meals being redistributed to those in need.

Sodexo’s volunteering programme is part of its commitment to fighting food insecurity in the UK and Ireland. Every year Sodexo enables its employees to have three paid days to participate in volunteering activities with charities such as FareShare. This provides them with the chance to deliver social impact to their local communities as well as providing opportunities for team-building, improved well-being, as well as the development of personal and professional skills. 

Patrick Forbes, head of supply management at Sodexo UK & Ireland Trustee of the Sodexo Stop Hunger Foundation said:

“As a purpose-led business with a large operational footprint, we are committed to doing all we can to support the communities in which we live and work. Since our partnership with FareShare began we have been proud to have helped it to expand its reach across the UK to more communities in desperate need of help through our financial support, employee volunteering and other initiatives.”

In 2022-2023 FareShare redistributed 54,000 tonnes of food, equivalent to four meals every second, supporting around 8,500 charities and community projects nationwide. The frontline charities who receive food from FareShare are reporting skyrocketing demand for their services as the cost of living crisis drives millions into food poverty.  These charities use food to help tackle the root causes of poverty and provide vital services including homelessness shelters, lunch clubs for elderly people suffering from isolation, and support with issues including debt, employment and mental health.  

Lindsay Boswell, CEO FareShare said:

“We are extremely grateful to everyone at Sodexo for their support in reaching this incredible fundraising milestone and to their staff for giving up their time to volunteer for us at a time when the demand for food has never been higher. The money raised will make a huge difference in getting good-to-eat surplus food to people who need it most and help support the essential work of 8,500 charities across the UK.”

For more information, please visit: https://sodexouki.info/StopHungerFS23.