Scottish government funding helps FareShare access Asda food at cost price
Melanie May | 10 January 2020 | News
Additional funding from the Scottish government is enabling FareShare to access food within Asda’s supply chain at cost price and reach more people as a result.
The food from Asda will help provide meals for thousands of vulnerable people across Scotland, through a new partnership with the charity.
The Scottish Government has given FareShare additional funding of up to £1 million to help people struggling with food insecurity deal with additional pressures caused by Brexit. It will allow FareShare to provide additional support to organisations like community cafes, food parcel providers and holiday clubs, particularly in more isolated and rural areas across the country, such as the Scottish Highlands.
The funding is enabling Asda to provide thousands of meals by delivering staple ambient and frozen food to FareShare’s warehouses at cost price. This is in addition to the surplus food the retailer already donates from all its stores and distribution centres in Scotland.
By purchasing the food at cost price, FareShare has been able to distribute 30% more food than it otherwise would have been able to, and so far, 108 additional tonnes of food has been delivered to FareShare’s four warehouses in Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasgow, with more pallets being delivered this month.
Stephi Brett-Lee, Asda’s Senior Director for Community said:
“We’re really proud of our partnership with FareShare and, through this initiative, we are able to support the charity to ensure thousands of vulnerable people in communities across Scotland don’t go hungry this winter.
“We know our customers and colleagues are passionate about us tackling food insecurity and this scheme is helping us to do that right in the heart of our local communities, on top of the existing work in our Fight Hunger Create Change partnership to increase food donations and tackle the root causes of poverty.”
Gillian Kynoch, Head of FareShare in Scotland said:
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“Working closely with our partner Asda, we will be able to reach more low income and vulnerable people through our network of frontline organisations – such as food banks, community centres and children’s after school clubs. The funding will be used to supplement stocks of available surplus food with additional essential supplies and we welcome Asda and the Scottish Government’s continued support in helping us ensure good food gets onto the plates of people who need it most.”
In 2018, Asda donated 72.2 tonnes of surplus food to FareShare in Scotland, the equivalent of 170,716 meals. Asda is also donating £20m to FareShare and the Trussell Trust via the Fight Hunger Create Change partnership, which aims to support 1 million people in poverty across the UK.
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About Melanie May
Melanie May is a journalist and copywriter specialising in writing both for and about the charity and marketing services sectors since 2001. She can be reached via thepurplepim.com.