Fareshare Sussex & Surrey

We are the region’s leading food distribution charity. We fight hunger in our community by tackling food waste. Established in 2002, our team of volunteers save c.100 tonnes of good quality, in-date surplus food each week and redistribute it to organisations supporting the most vulnerable across our region. There are 5 key elements to our work: We feed people in crisis. Food poverty is on the increase. We reach hungry people in the region from all demographics: children living in poverty, isolated elderly people, victims of domestic violence, refugees and asylum seekers, homeless people, and low-income families struggling to put food on the table. We deliver surplus food from the food industries and prevent it from ending up in landfill or going to waste. It is 17 times better for the planet to get surplus food to people than the next best option, use it for animal feed. We empower our volunteers who are the lifeblood of our organisation. Our 150 incredible volunteers sort and pack food ready for transportation, assist on deliveries, drive vans and e-cargo bikes and maintain the warehouse. Often they find us through our community projects and are on a journey to get a job. We’re helping our volunteers become more employable. Our Fareshare futures programme is for people far from the employment market, providing accredited training and experience. Last year, we helped 21 volunteers find paid work. We’re lowering our emissions. In 2021 we diverted 1090 tonnes of food from being put into landfill – our model is a highly green and efficient way to manage surplus food. We have introduced an electric van and an e-cargo bike. They allow us to deliver more food whilst decreasing air pollution and our carbon emissions plus they cost less to run.