Help for Flintshire charities is on offer, says Antoinette Sandbach AM

Every day, thousands of good quality edible food is thrown away in the UK, to rot down in landfill sites, whilst groups helping vulnerable people struggle to help feed them.

Fareshare helps stop this waste by saving in-date food and re-distributing it to local communities.

“I was pleased to hear that Fareshare North Wales is now looking to help groups in Flintshire, by delivering food to homeless centres, centres for the elderly, residential centres for adults with learning disabilities, food banks and other groups” said Antoinette Sandbach AM

Since it started in 2010, with Crest Cooperative in Llandudno Junction, more than 165 tonnes of in-date food have been saved from landfill, working with 60 community groups in North Wales, and contributing to more than 146, 000 meals for people vulnerable to food poverty.

On Monday October 28 at Corlan, the Flintshire Local Voluntary Council offices in Mold, there’s an afternoon session with Dave Morris from Fareshare North Wales explaining how the project works and how it can save local groups a lot of money.

Each of the groups and charities the project works with save on average £13,000 a year on food costs. 　

If you run a luncheon club, a community café, a hostel, a day centre, or if you provide food on a regular basis then don’t miss this meeting. It is a genuine win-win situation, says Dave. To book a place please email [email protected]

Fareshare North Wales was set up with National Lottery funding, and a warehouse in Crest Co-operative’s Llandudno Junction office to stores and re-distribute the food. Welsh Government funding has allowed the project to expand and buy new equipment, including freezers.

For a small fee, community groups receive a vast amount of food. For example for a £15 weekly charge, community groups receive more than £90 worth of food.

The donations of food come from national and local suppliers, which would otherwise be sent to landfill for several reasons. These include over-orders and damages in packaging, on products such as fresh fruit and vegetables, fresh meat and fish milk, butter, cheese and yoghurts, rice, pasta, tins, pulses, packets, juices plus frozen and chilled food.

I’m told that Fareshare North Wales is always on the look-out for new suppliers – so if you work for a Flintshire food supplier and you think your company can help the project (and save your business money) then contact Jay Martin on 01492 596783 ext 105 or e-mail [email protected]