IMPACT REPORT 2023
MESSAGE FROM DAN, OUR CEO
Last summer I had the honour of joining FareShare Sussex & Surrey in the year we celebrate 20 years of service in the region. It has not taken much searching to note some incredible things in our story as we reflect on the last two decades. The incredible stories are not confined to the past though, as you will see from the pipeline of developments planned for 2023 and beyond.
Incredible PEOPLE
Our expanding staff team worked alongside over 150 active volunteers (helping with administration, fundraising, van driving and in our warehouse) to deliver 1,014 tonnes of nutritious quality surplus food.
Incredible PASSION
Our annual staff survey showed that 100% of our staff team feel inspired by our cause. This passion has compelled us to invest in two new electric vans this year to further reduce our CO2e output. Annually, the new e-vans will reduce our CO2e emissions by 9,600kg a year.
Incredible PERSEVERANCE
Once again, this year has been littered with challenges that have required perseverance. We remain on the front line of the Cost of Living Crisis, with food prices soaring to an eye-watering 19.2% in the year to March 23 (CPI), the highest rate for 45 years. As the food industry contracts, we have had to swim against the tide to keep our stock varied and volumes on target. We continue to hold fast and have invested in sourcing local food, whilst knowing there is plenty of hard work ahead as the requests for our services continue to escalate and outstrip supply.
Incredible PARTNERS
Through our inspiring network of 153 charity and community partners we have supplied 2.4 million meals across the 2,000+ square miles of the three counties we serve. Exceptional commercial partners have supplied food, given expert help and donated funds (and thanks to them, our corporate income has almost doubled this year).
As we look forward to the coming year with incredible people, passion, perseverance and partners, we are on the brink of opening two new facilities in Surrey.
We are very clear about and determined to help more people facing the harsh realities of hunger and rescue more good-to-eat food from being wasted.
Thank you to all our new and existing supporters; your commitment to our cause is inspiring.
Annual Staff Survey
Dan Slatter Chief Executive
100% FARESHARE SUSSEX & SURREY TREATS ME WITH RESPECT AS AN INDIVIDUAL AND UNDERSTANDS AND APPRECIATES THE DIFFERENCES AMONG EMPLOYEES
86% HAVE FUN AT WORK
93% ENJOY THEIR JOB
93% FEEL VALUED AT FARESHARE SUSSEX & SURREY
IMPACT REPORT 2023 2
“IT’S HARD TO THINK OF A CHARITY THAT TICKS MORE BOXES THAN FARESHARE SUSSEX & SURREY. I’M JUST SO IMPRESSED BY THE WORK THAT I’VE SEEN. WE KNOW THAT PEOPLE RIGHT NOW ARE GOING THROUGH THIS HORRENDOUS COST OF LIVING CRISIS AND THEREFORE THE DEMANDS ON AN ORGANISATION LIKE FARESHARE SUSSEX & SURREY ARE GREATER THAN EVER BEFORE, AND THAT’S WHAT MAKES THE WORK THAT GETS DONE HERE SO IMPORTANT.”
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Caroline Lucas, MP Brighton Pavilions
MISSION TO MAXIMISE THE SOCIAL VALUE OF SURPLUS FOOD
VISION
WORKING ACROSS SUSSEX AND SURREY WE WANT A REGION WHERE NO-ONE GOES HUNGRY WHEN THERE IS FOOD BEING WASTED, NO CHILD GOES TO SCHOOL ON AN EMPTY STOMACH AND WHERE VULNERABLE PEOPLE ARE SUPPORTED TO JOIN OR REJOIN THE WORKFORCE
PURPOSE
FIGHTING HUNGER, TACKLING WASTE, CREATING OPPORTUNITIES
IMPACT REPORT 2023 4
WE’RE LOWERING OUR EMISSIONS
In 2022 we diverted 1,014 tonnes of food from being put into landfill – our model is a highly efficient way to manage surplus food.
We have introduced a new electric van. It allows us to deliver more food whilst decreasing air pollution and our carbon emissions plus they cost less to run. For our full green story see P6.
WE HAVE FIVE CORE AIMS HOW WE WORK
WE DELIVER SURPLUS FOOD
We deliver surplus food from the food supply industries and prevent it from ending up in landfill or going to waste. In the UK, food production and waste creates 35% of total Co2e emissions.
WE EMPOWER OUR VOLUNTEERS
We empower our volunteers, who are the lifeblood of our organisation. Our 150 incredible volunteers assist on deliveries, drive vans and e cargo bikes, sort food and maintain the warehouse. Often they find us through our community projects and are on a journey to securing a job.
WE’RE HELPING OUR VOLUNTEERS BECOME MORE EMPLOYABLE
We run an employability programme to help volunteers become more prepared for a future role in the food industry. We give them hands-on experience in addition to our individually tailored employability training in our food redistribution depot and personalised support with job searches. Last year we helped 17 volunteers find paid work.
WE FEED PEOPLE IN CRISIS
We feed people in crisis. Food poverty is on the increase, exacerbated by the cost of living crisis. A total of 13.3 million people (9.3 million adults and 4 million children) are now living in food poverty. This represents nearly 20% of the UK population, or one in five people. This number has almost doubled in the last year. Almost half of all children are living in families who are unable to meet the cost of some basic necessities. We reach hungry people in the region from all demographics.
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COLLECT SURPLUS FOOD TRANSPORT IT TO THE WAREHOUSE
PROCESS IT INTO NUTRITIOUS MEALS IN OUR PRODUCTION KITCHEN
DISTRIBUTE TO CHARITIES DISTRIBUTE IT TO PEOPLE
CHARITY PARTNERS JOIN OUR EMPLOYABILITY SCHEME
FIGHTING HUNGER
As the Cost of Living Crisis continues unabated, some of the most vulnerable members of society are suffering most. However, with food price inflation at a 45-year high in February1, ever more people are facing food insecurity and hunger.
SHOCKINGLY, OVER 13 MILLION PEOPLE (9.3 MILLION ADULTS AND 4 MILLION CHILDREN) EXPERIENCED FOOD INSECURITY IN JANUARY 2023 2 . THIS REPRESENTS NEARLY 20% OF THE UK POPULATION, OR ONE IN FIVE PEOPLE 3
Over the past year, the profile of those experiencing food insecurity has changed significantly.
OVER ONE THIRD (38.6%) ARE IN EMPLOYMENT, MANY IN KEY SECTORS SUCH AS THE FOOD INDUSTRY, EDUCATION, AND HEALTHCARE.
Households with children continue to be disproportionately affected, with one in four (24.4%) experiencing food insecurity4 .
There is a complex landscape of poverty in the areas FareShare Sussex & Surrey operate in, which are often seen as affluent. Poverty leading to hunger can be hidden from view. We cover 104 wards which are within the lowest 20% of deprived communities across Sussex and Surrey5
They have above national average levels of homelessness, affordable housing, alcohol and substance abuse, single parent families, self-harm, elderly populations and rural poverty.
Inability to access food affects overall wellbeing and mental health, including engendering feelings of isolation, depression, shame and anxiety6 and 7. As of February 2023, over three quarters of food-insecure households with children were also worried about the impact of food insecurity on their children’s mental and physical health 8
Meanwhile, in the past year we have also seen empty shelves in stores, highlighting the unpredictability of food availability.
Less food is flowing through the system due to supply chain disruption brought on by Covid-19 and Brexit and the impact of climate change on farming. The war in Ukraine has also exacerbated the Cost of Living Crisis through inflating energy prices and further disrupting the supply chain.
UK PRODUCT RANGES WITHIN SUPERMARKETS HAVE SHRUNK BY 12% AND UK FOOD PRODUCTION IS DOWN 7%.
At the same time as surplus food volumes are declining, the demand for our services is ever increasing. We have a waiting list of charities and community partners that want to join our network: 17 in Sussex and 30 ready to sign up when our Surrey depot opens. Furthermore, 27 of our current charity partners have increased their food volumes.
Our food is a vital lifeline for vulnerable people in our community and we are determined to keep rising to the challenges to source and supply nutritious, good-to-eat surplus food, fighting hunger in the counties we serve.
1 ONS (2023). Consumer Price Inflation, UK: February 2023.
2 The Food Foundation (2023). Food Insecurity Tracking. Round 12.
3 Office for National Statistics (2022). Population estimates.
4 The Food Foundation (2023). Food Insecurity Tracking.
5 (National Indices of Deprivation)
6 Yau, A. et al. (2019). Socio-demographic characteristics, diet and health among food insecure UK adults, Public Health Nutrition.
7 Purdam, K. et al. (2015). Hungry? Food Insecurity, Social Stigma and Embarrassment in the UK. Sociology.
8 The Food Foundation (2023). Food Insecurity Tracking. Round 12. Children.
IMPACT REPORT 2023 6
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TACKLING FOOD WASTE
Food waste is an environmental disaster as well as being socially wrong in the face of widespread hunger. All the energy and resources that go into growing, processing, transporting and storing food are wasted when it is not eaten. Food waste accounts for up to 10% of all global carbon emissions1; that’s more than four times the amount of CO2e emissions produced by the world’s entire aviation industry2 .
Shockingly, over a quarter of all food grown in the UK is never eaten. Research by the World Wide Fund for Nature and Tesco reveals that 2.9 million tonnes of the food that goes to waste on UK farms each year is still edible3 . That brings the total good-to-eat food wasted in the UK supply chain to over 3 million tonnes, enough for 7 billion meals 4
In the UK, food production and its waste alone create 35% of the country’s greenhouse gas emissions5
The best environmental solution is redistribution of surplus food. In terms of greenhouse gas emissions, it is 17 times better to redistribute surplus food to people than the next best option, using it for animal feed6
FareShare Sussex & Surrey is at the forefront of the battle against this wastefulness. The vast majority of the food we redistribute is surplus food that would otherwise go to waste (88% in 2021-2022). We redistribute food to those most in need through our charity and community members. With every tonne of food we redistribute, we prevent the waste of 1.6 tonnes of embedded CO2e emissions.
We are equally committed to reducing our own waste from all the food we handle. This can be challenging as food sometimes arrives with a very short shelf life left or has been damaged by transportation. When this happens we send it on for anaerobic digestion to convert our waste into biogas or fertiliser.
In 2022, we also piloted sending some of our food waste to be locally composted. And, during the year, we averaged 1% waste on all food that came through our doors. In one month alone, our waste was just 0.11% (August) of total food volume.
1 WWF (2021), Driven To Waste: The Global Impact Of Food Loss And Waste On Farms. 2 Global Carbon Project (2019). Supplemental data of Global Carbon Budget 2019. 3 World Wildlife Foundation (2022). Hidden Waste: The Scale and Impact of Food Waste in Primary Production. 4 This meals calculation is estimated by using 420g as a meal size, giving 2,381 meals from 1 tonne of surplus, which is the standard calculation recommended by WRAP. 5 WRAP (2021). 6 J.A. Moult, et al. (2018). Greenhouse gas emissions of food waste disposal options for UK retailers, Food Policy.
IMPACT REPORT 2023 8
“WE CONTINUE TO ACTIVELY LOOK AT WAYS OF REDUCING OUR ENVIRONMENTAL FOOTPRINT, WHETHER BY CUTTING BACK ON OUR OWN FOOD WASTE OR BY LOWERING OUR CARBON EMISSIONS THROUGH USING ELECTRIC VEHICLES.” DAN SLATTER CEO
1,014 TONNES OF SURPLUS FO�D WE SAVED AND REDISTRIBUTED 26 VOLUNTE�RS ON OUR EMPLOYABILITY PROGRAM�E WESUP�ORTED 17 WE HELPED VOLUNTE�RS BACK TO WORK PAID ROLES AT FARESHARE SUS�EX 3 INCLU DING WE RAN CO�KING ON A BUGDGET WORKSHOPS 211 44 HELPING PEOPLE OUR 364 VOLUNTE�RS DONATED 24,726 HOURS WITH AN ESTIMATED VALUE OF £276,072 WE PROVIDED ENOUGH FO�D FOR 17,370 VULNERABLE PEOPLE EVERY WE�K 1,359 TONNES OF CO2E SAVED THEEQUIVALENTO F FLIGH�S FROM LONDON TO SYDNEY 272 153 WE SUP�ORTED COM�UNITY GROUPS 2022/3 IN NUMBERS WE SAVED OUR CHARITY PARTNERS AN ESTIMATED £5.7 MILLION IN FO�D COSTS OUR AVERAGE FOOD WASTE WAS 1% WE ADDED ELECTRIC VAN TO OUR FLEET 1 VOLUNTE�RS COMPLETED FORMAL TRAINING IN FO�D SAFETY, HEALTH & SAFETY, AND MANUAL HANDLING. WE DISTRIBUTED FO�D FOR 2.4MILLION MEALS 74 9
THE FORCE BEHIND FARESHARE SUSSEX & SURREY
“JUST KNOWING I WOULD BE SPENDING REGULAR TIME WITH FRIENDLY AND VIBRANT PEOPLE, WHILST CONTRIBUTING SOMETHING POSITIVE, GAVE ME A HUGE BOOST.”
JON, VOLUNTEER DRIVER / WAREHOUSE ASSISTANT
Our volunteer team has been nothing short of amazing this year. It’s humbling to work alongside so many generous, dedicated and caring individuals, many of whom have been volunteering here for over eight years! Their commitment to our cause is truly inspiring, and we could not have achieved what we have without our volunteers past and present.
One of the things that makes our volunteer team so special is its sense of community. The friendly and welcoming atmosphere is often mentioned by visitors or new volunteers - a testament to the warm and compassionate nature of those who give up their time to be here each week.
1,014
Our community kitchen is at the heart of our organisation; it serves as a gathering point for breaktime chats and a place to enjoy a delicious meal together, created by our wonderful team of volunteer chefs. It is also playing host to our new volunteer forum - a space for discussion, collaboration and to support our volunteering team for the year ahead.
“AT A TIME OF QUITE SIGNIFICANT DIFFICULTY FOR SOME OF OUR VOLUNTEERS FOUND HUGE SUPPORT WITH THE COMMUNITY AT FARESHARE SUSSEX & SURREY. BEING A PART OF SOMETHING IMPORTANT, WHERE EVERYONE’S CONTRIBUTION IS VALUED AND ACKNOWLEDGED, MAKES IT A WARM AND POSITIVE PLACE TO BE.”
JON, VOLUNTEER DRIVER / WAREHOUSE ASSISTANT
What our volunteers say about volunteering at FareShare Sussex & Surrey:
69% SAID THEY FELT HAPPIER
67% SAID THEY FEEL MORE SATISFIED WITH THEIR LIFE
86% SAID THEY WERE DOING THINGS THAT ARE WORTHWHILE
85% SAID THEY FEEL THEY ARE VALUED AS A VOLUNTEER
When asked what their motivation for volunteering was:
77% SAID THEY WANTED TO GIVE BACK TO THEIR COMMUNITY
82% WANTED TO TACKLE FOOD WASTE
63%
THE COMPANY OF OTHERS
1,359
HERE
ENJOY
SAVED AND REDISTRIBUTED
EMPLOYABILITY
TED 17 WE HELPED VOLUNTE�RS BACK TO WORK PAID ROLES AT FARESHARE SUS�EX 3 INCLU DING WE RAN CO�KING ON A BUGDGET WORKSHOPS 211 44 HELPING PEOPLE OUR 364 VOLUNTE�RS DONATED 24,726 HOURS WITH AN ESTIMATED VALUE OF £276,072 WE PROVIDED ENOUGH FO�D FOR 17,370 VULNERABLE PEOPLE EVERY WE�K
TONNES OF SURPLUS FO�D WE
26 VOLUNTE�RS ON OUR
PROGRAM�E WESUP�OR
TONNES
CO2E SAVED THEEQUIVALENTO F FLIGH�S FROM LONDON TO SYDNEY 272 153 WE SUP�ORTED COM�UNITY GROUPS 2022/3 IN NUMBERS WE SAVED OUR CHARITY PARTNERS AN ESTIMATED £5.7 MILLION IN FO�D COSTS OUR AVERAGE FOOD WASTE WAS 1% WE ADDED ELECTRIC VAN TO OUR FLEET 1 VOLUNTE�RS COMPLETED FORMAL TRAINING IN FO�D SAFETY, HEALTH & SAFETY, AND MANUAL HANDLING. WE DISTRIBUTED FO�D FOR 2.4MILLION MEALS 74 1,014 TONNES OF SURPLUS FO�D WE SAVED AND REDISTRIBUTED 17 WE HELPED VOLUNTE�RS BACK TO WORK PAID ROLES AT FARESHARE SUS�EX 3 INCLU DING WE RAN CO�KING ON A BUGDGET WORKSHOPS 211 44 HELPING PEOPLE 2022/3 IN NUMBERS WE SAVED OUR WE DISTRIBUTED FO�D FOR 2.4MILLION MEALS 1,014 TONNES OF SURPLUS FO�D WE SAVED AND REDISTRIBUTED 26 VOLUNTE�RS ON OUR EMPLOYABILITY PROGRAM�E WESUP�ORTED 17 WE HELPED VOLUNTE�RS BACK TO WORK PAID ROLES AT FARESHARE SUS�EX 3 INCLU DING WE RAN CO�KING ON A BUGDGET WORKSHOPS 211 44 HELPING PEOPLE OUR 364 VOLUNTE�RS DONATED 24,726 HOURS WITH AN ESTIMATED VALUE OF £276,072 WE PROVIDED ENOUGH FO�D FOR 17,370 VULNERABLE PEOPLE EVERY WE�K 1,359 TONNES OF CO2E SAVED THEEQUIVALENTO F FLIGH�S FROM 272 153 WE SUP�ORTED COM�UNITY GROUPS 2022/3 IN NUMBERS WE SAVED OUR CHARITY PARTNERS AN ESTIMATED £5.7 MILLION IN FO�D COSTS OUR AVERAGE FOOD WASTE WAS 1% WE ADDED ELECTRIC VAN TO OUR FLEET 1 VOLUNTE�RS COMPLETED FORMAL TRAINING IN FO�D SAFETY, HEALTH & SAFETY, AND MANUAL HANDLING. WE DISTRIBUTED FO�D FOR 2.4MILLION MEALS 74 1,014 TONNES OF SURPLUS FO�D WE SAVED AND REDISTRIBUTED 17 WE HELPED VOLUNTE�RS BACK TO WORK PAID ROLES AT FARESHARE SUS�EX 3 INCLU DING WE RAN CO�KING ON A BUGDGET WORKSHOPS 211 44 HELPING PEOPLE OUR 364 VOLUNTE�RS DONATED 24,726 HOURS WITH AN ESTIMATED VALUE OF £276,072 WE PROVIDED ENOUGH FO�D FOR 17,370 VULNERABLE PEOPLE EVERY WE�K 153 WE SUP�ORTED COM�UNITY GROUPS 2022/3 IN NUMBERS WE SAVED OUR CHARITY PARTNERS AN ESTIMATED £5.7 MILLION IN FO�D COSTS OUR AVERAGE FOOD WASTE 1% WE DISTRIBUTED FO�D FOR 2.4MILLION MEALS IMPACT REPORT 2023 10
OF
“YOU CAN GET TO A CERTAIN AGE WHERE YOU THINK YOU MAY BECOME INVISIBLE, THAT YOU ARE NEVER GOING TO LEARN SOMETHING NEW. FARESHARE SUSSEX & SURREY GIVES YOU THAT BACK, YOU KNOW YOU ARE RESPECTED, YOU’RE NEEDED. IT MAKES YOU FEEL LIKE YOU HAVE A PURPOSE AND YOU ARE NOT DISAPPEARING ANYMORE AND YOU CAN LEARN NEW SKILLS.”
Caroline, Volunteer Driver
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STORIES FROM THE FRONT LINE OUR SOCIAL ROI (SOCIAL RETURN ON INVESTMENT)
YMCA Downslink is a charity which has been working with young people across Sussex and Surrey for more than 100 years. They work to tackle the causes of youth homelessness and give young people in crisis the opportunity to create a brighter future, supporting more than 10,000 young people with services such as supported accommodation, drop-in activities and signposting services.
Food plays an important role in their work, providing a safe space for people to talk at weekly meals and providing food to prepare for those living in a supported space.
Last year we provided enough food for 74,383 meals, helping to stock food pantries and cater for group meals. We also provided 48 hours of support from our team with cookery workshops, teaching young people how to prepare nutritious and low-cost meals.
FARESHARE SUSSEX & SURREY ARE REACHING THE MOST VULNERABLE PEOPLE IN OUR COMMUNITY:
Research conducted by Interreg 2 Seas Mers Zeeen for the Flavour project shows that for every £1 put into FareShare Sussex & Surrey, the social value is worth £10.87. What we mean by a social return on investment is not reflected in conventional financial accounts. Instead, we assign a hypothetical monetary value to the social, human and environmental benefits.
For instance, by passing on food surplus to low income people, we help cut their household expenditure. This leads to improvements in health and wellbeing, and in the long run saves on health and social care costs. Another aspect of our work is creating jobs and providing skills training to help people into work. Furthermore, the charities, community groups and community kitchens that we supply reduce social isolation and provide a support structure while volunteers benefit from a sense of making a contribution to society.
FOR EVERY £1 PUT INTO FARESHARE SUSSEX & SURREY THE SOCIAL VALUE IS WORTH £10.87
FAMILIES ON LOW OR NO INCOME OR LONG TERM UNEMPLOYED
HOMELESS PEOPLE AND ROUGH SLEEPERS
ISOLATED ELDERLY PEOPLE
PEOPLE WITH DRUG OR ALCOHOL ADDICTION
PEOPLE AFFECTED BY DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
CHILDREN UNDER 18
EX-OFFENDERS
LONE PARENTS
PEOPLE WITH PHYSICAL DISABILITIES
LGBTQIA+ COMMUNITY
REFUGEES AND PEOPLE FROM ETHNIC MINORITY GROUPS
PEOPLE WITH MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS
Environmentally, we enable better management of waste and more efficient use of resources, preventing food waste going to landfill and reducing the community’s carbon footprint. Through partnering with food suppliers, municipalities and social enterprises, we help build sustainable cities and communities. And by generating greater recognition and awareness of food distribution and processing centres, we can increase food donations and create change at policy level.
IMPACT REPORT 2023 12
“I WASN’T A VERY CONFIDENT COOK. AFTER ATTENDING SOME COOKING SESSIONS WITH FARESHARE SUSSEX & SURREY, I LEARNED A FEW EASY DISHES THAT I CAN NOW PREPARE WITHOUT SPENDING MUCH MONEY. I KNOW I CAN USE WHATEVER VEG AND TINS I CAN GET FROM THE YAC AND PREPARE SOMETHING HEALTHY.”
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Ellie,
young person using YMCA
WORKING WITH LOCAL SUPPLIERS
We are facing a significant challenge: surplus food shortages and a rising demand for our services.
In 2022, surplus food donations from retailers decreased amid rising fuel and commodity prices, labour shortages, the war in Ukraine and the fallout from Brexit. Scarcity has intensified in recent months due to the impact of adverse weather conditions on crops here in the UK and in Europe. The surplus food system is unpredictable and insecure, and supplying a mixed variety of food types to our charity members has become more difficult.
Meanwhile, the charities we support tell us that the need in the community is growing as inflation and the Cost of Living Crisis spirals.
In 2022, we rescued 1,004 tonnes of food, but to meet current demand, an extra 320 tonnes of food is required over the course of the coming year. It’s vital that we adapt and change the way we access surplus food. We’ve invested in a Regional Food Sourcing Manager to
help unlock more good quality, surplus food from local suppliers.
Last year, we sourced 34 tonnes of food from local producers and manufactures, including fruit and vegetables from Shrub, eggs from The Mac’s Farm, bottled juice from Brighton Permaculture Trust, plant-based milk from Infinity Foods and pies from Higgidy. By increasing the volume of food we source locally, we can become more resilient and provide our members with a more diverse offer.
Building strong relationships with local suppliers allows us to be more creative. Typically, suppliers donate their surplus to us’ diverting edible, in-date food that would otherwise have gone to waste. However, some of our local suppliers operate in a different way. As well as donating surplus, Higgidy manufactures extra especially for us to ensure a regular supply of products into our warehouses. In 2022, Higgidy donated over eight tonnes of food –enough for 20,000 meals!
“WE’RE EXTREMELY PROUD TO SUPPORT FARESHARE SUSSEX & SURREY. THE TEAM MAKES DONATING SO SIMPLE, AND WE ARE DELIGHTED TO BE ABLE TO HELP WHENEVER WE CAN. KNOWING OUR EGGS HELP SO MANY PEOPLE IN OUR LOCAL COMMUNITY MAKES US VERY PROUD OF OUR FAMILY FARM.”
SUSIE MACMILLAN, DIRECTOR, THE MAC’S FARM
IMPACT REPORT 2023 14
THE MAC’S FARM
The Mac’s Farm is a fourth generation, organic egg farming family. For the small and dedicated team, food and environmental education is the driving force behind everything they do.
The Mac’s Farm joined forces with us in 2021 and their continued support last year helped us fight food poverty and give more people access to quality, nutritious food.
In 2022 Mac’s provided us with 1.5 tonnes of eggs, a vital source of protein for 113 of our charity members who received the eggs. The eggs from Mac’s Farm equated to almost 30% of the total eggs received into our warehouse in 2022 – highlighting how important local suppliers are in diversifying our offer to our charity partners.
We are in urgent need of more food to meet the rising demand across our region. Our new depot and production kitchen in Surrey will enable us to accept more and new types of surplus food, including manufacturing ingredients, catering packs and frozen food. If you are a producer, manufacturer, caterer, wholesaler, retailer or distributor, and can help, please contact us on 01273 671 111 or info@faresharesussexandsurrey.org.uk.
We are committed to supporting local charities and community groups to create healthy meals and provide quality fresh produce suitable for individuals to prepare on their own. The food we receive allows us to do this - we are happy to report that 52% of our incoming food was fresh fruit, vegetables and dairy products.
Last year we provided 21 of our partner charities and community groups with a freezer, helping them to prolong the life of their surplus food. We also delivered 44 cookery workshops, demonstrating how to use various and more unusual foods, alongside information about how to preserve food and make it last longer.
15 VEGETABLES27.82% MIXED 23.65%ITEMS DAIRY13.07% FRUIT9.95% GRAINS PASTA & PULSES 6.72% MEAT4.22% 3.76%DRINKS BREAKFAST 3.63% BREAD 2.43% READY MEALS 2.07% DESSERT AND CAKE 2.02% NON-FOOD 0.33% FISH 0.30%
MAKING SURE WE DELIVER HEALTHY, NUTRITIOUS FOOD TO THOSE WHO NEED IT MOST
COMMUNITY PARTNERS
Our commitment is to build strategic and sustainable partnerships in the local community with charities and community groups who embed food support alongside wraparound care such as advice, health support, counselling and befriending. This allows people to access quality nutritious food in a dignified setting and help break the cycle of poverty.
We work with 153 charities and community groups across the breadth of Sussex and Surrey who support people from a range of backgrounds, needing food support for a variety of reasons. The Cost of Living Crisis has put increased pressure on these services, with people struggling to afford their bills and in turn sacrificing food to save money.
SURREY
Mid Surrey Community Fridges provides food support to the people of Surrey through mobile fridges which target areas of deprivation, alongside advice and signposting to local support charities and community groups.
“EVERY WEEK WE DELIVER 500KG OF FARESHARE SUSSEX & SURREY FOOD TO OUR 20 HUBS ACROSS SURREY. IT VARIES FROM AREA TO AREA, SOME WILL TAKE FRESH FRUIT AND VEG, OTHER SITES ‘PICK AND PING’ THEY WANT MICROWAVE FOOD. WE WANT TO GIVE PEOPLE A SHOPPING EXPERIENCE, SO THEY COME TO HAVE THE FEELING LIKE THEY’RE GETTING THEIR OWN FOOD, I WAS VERY KEEN THERE WAS NO STIGMATISM TO FOOD.”
TONY WHITE, MANAGING DIRECTOR, MID SURREY COMMUNITY FRIDGES
EAST SUSSEX
Seaside Community Hub provides a community fridge and supportive space to the residents of Eastbourne. Each week more than 150 local people pay a small fee to ‘shop’ from the fridge alongside getting support with IT and banking.
“WE GET PEOPLE FROM ALL WALKS OF LIFE, WE GET LOTS OF YOUNG FAMILIES, LOTS OF UKRAINIAN REFUGEES, LOTS OF OLDER PEOPLE WHO LOVE IT BECAUSE THEY CAN BUY JUST 2 POTATOES AND 2 CARROTS. IT’S LOVELY TO KNOW THAT EVERY MONDAY WE GET A NICE BIG BOX FULL OF STUFF FROM FARESHARE SUSSEX & SURREY. IF WE HAD NOTHING ELSE, THIS FOOD WOULD SUSTAIN US FOR 2 DAYS, EVERYTHING ELSE IS ON TOP OF THAT.”
SUE, TRUSTEE, SEASIDE COMMUNITY HUB
WEST SUSSEX
BRIGHTON & HOVE
The Hop 50+ provides a range of activities and social opportunities for people aged 50+ in Brighton & Hove, including providing hot meals and snacks.
“WE REALLY TRY TO MAKE THE FOOD AS CREATIVE AND INTERESTING AS POSSIBLE. IT’S SO IMPORTANT FOR THE ELDERLY. SOMETIMES IT’S THE ONLY TIME THEY’LL EAT A MAIN COURSE, AND IT’S A SOCIAL THING, BRINGING EVERYONE TOGETHER. ALSO, WE’VE GOT PEOPLE THAT USED TO STICK TO JACKET POTATOES EVERY DAY, AND NOW THEY’RE HAVING CURRIES, AND WITH CHILLIES.”
TAMMI, CHEF, THE HOP 50+
True Vine has been facilitating a Friday breakfast club and an occasional Sunday lunch for rough sleepers and people struggling with addiction in Bognor Regis for the past few years.
“WE USE FOOD TO SERVE A FREE BREAKFAST WHICH ATTRACTS MORE PEOPLE IN THE WINTER AS IT’S A WARM AND SAFE SPACE OFF THE STREETS. WE SAVE SOME LONG SHELF LIFE ITEMS FOR FOOD PARCELS AT CHRISTMAS. WE FREEZE THE MEAT THAT WE GET FOR A COMMUNITY BBQ IN AUGUST.”
KEMI, PROJECT MANAGER, TRUE VINE
IMPACT REPORT 2023 16
BRIGHTON WORTHING BOGNOR WEST SUSSEX EAST SUSSEX SURREY KENT CRAWLEY BURGESS HILL REDHILL DORKING WOKING HASTINGS HORSHAM NEWHAVEN EASTBOURNE 17 30 Food Banks 17 Family And Community Centres 16 Supported Housing 15 Advice / Day Centres / Drop In Centres 14 Community Fridges / Supermarkets /Food Hubs 10 Refuges 10 Hostels 9 Lunch Clubs 8 Faith Organisations 6 Addiction Support 4 School Breakfast Or After School Clubs 4 Soup Kitchens 3 Out Of School Clubs Of Youth Centres 3 Residential Rehabilitation Centres 2 Hospices, Carehomes Or Medical Facilities 2 Training Centres We deliver food to Charities and community groups supporting the most vulnerable across our area. Using the Indices of Multiple Deprivation (IMD), we target communities with the highest levels of deprivation within our region. WORKING WITH 153 GRASS ROOTS COMMUNITY PARTNERS 1,014 TONNES OF SURPLUS FO�D WE SAVED AND REDISTRIBUTED 26 VOLUNTE�RS ON OUR EMPLOYABILITY PROGRAM�E WESUP�ORTED 17 WE HELPED VOLUNTE�RS BACK TO WORK PAID ROLES AT FARESHARE SUS�EX 3 INCLUDING WE RAN CO�KING ON A BUGDGET WORKSHOPS 211 44 HELPING PEOPLE OUR 364 VOLUNTE�RS DONATED 24,726 HOURS WITH AN ESTIMATED VALUE OF £276,072 WE PROVIDED ENOUGH FO�D FOR 17,370 VULNERABLE PEOPLE EVERY WE�K 1,359 TONNES OF CO2E SAVED THEEQUIVALENTO F FLIGH�S FROM LONDON TO SYDNEY 272 153 WE SUP�ORTED COM�UNITY GROUPS 2022/3 IN NUMBERS WE SAVED OUR CHARITY PARTNERS AN ESTIMATED £5.7 MILLION IN FO�D COSTS OUR AVERAGE FOOD WASTE WAS 1% WE ADDED ELECTRIC VAN TO OUR FLEET 1 VOLUNTE�RS COMPLETED FORMAL TRAINING IN FO�D SAFETY, HEALTH & SAFETY, AND MANUAL HANDLING. WE DISTRIBUTED FO�D FOR 2.4MILLION MEALS 74 TONNES OF SURPLUS FO�D PAID ROLES AT FARESHARE SUS�EX 3 INCLUDING 211 PEOPLE OUR 364 VOLUNTE�RS DONATED 24,726 HOURS WITH AN ESTIMATED VALUE OF £276,072 WE PROVIDED ENOUGH FO�D FOR 17,370 VULNERABLE PEOPLE EVERY WE�K 153 WE SUP�ORTED COM�UNITY GROUPS 2022/3 IN NUMBERS WE SAVED OUR CHARITY PARTNERS AN ESTIMATED £5.7 MILLION IN FO�D COSTS OUR AVERAGE FOOD WASTE WAS 1% WE DISTRIBUTED FO�D FOR 2.4MILLION MEALS OUR 364 VOLUNTE�RS DONATED 24,726 HOURS WITH AN ESTIMATED VALUE OF £276,072 WE PROVIDED ENOUGH FO�D FOR 17,370 VULNERABLE PEOPLE EVERY WE�K 153 WE SUP�ORTED COM�UNITY GROUPS 2022/3 IN NUMBERS WE SAVED OUR CHARITY PARTNERS AN ESTIMATED £5.7 MILLION IN FO�D COSTS OUR AVERAGE FOOD WASTE 1%
20TH ANNIVERSARY
2002
We celebrated our 20th Anniversary this year and have spent time reflecting on how far we have come. We started out with 1 man and a van picking up surplus food from local supermarkets and delivering it to 12 charities in Brighton, 20 years on we are still delivering to those original charities plus lots more across the 3
BRIGHTON & HOVE FARESHARE LAUNCHED AS A REGIONAL FRANCHISE OF CRISIS FARESHARE WITH 1 MAN AND 1 VAN TAKING 30 TONNES OF FOOD FROM SUPERMARKETS, DISTRIBUTING IT TO 12 CHARITIES WITH THE HELP OF 2 VOLUNTEERS
2011
counties. We survived the pandemic; the HGV driver crisis; difficulties with Brexit and climate change on our supply of surplus food. We are innovating and expanding to ensure we are providing the best possible service during the Cost of Living Crisis. Here is our abbreviated 20-year journey.
FARESHARE BRIGHTON & HOVE OFFICIALLY BECAME FARESHARE SUSSEX
2012
MOVED TO NEW PREMISESUNIT 3 AT THE CURRENT MOULSECOOMB DEPOT 2003
2009
WE STARTED MOVING C10 TONNES OF FOOD A MONTH 2005
“I STARTED WITH FARESHARE BRIGHTON IN 2003 HELPING TO ESTABLISH THE ORGANISATION IN THE EARLY DAYS. 20 YEARS ON AND I AM STILL SUPPORTING HUNGRY PEOPLE BY WORKING AS A TECHNICAL DEVELOPMENT MANAGER FOR FARESHARE UK. I AM REALLY PROUD TO SEE THE CHARITY STILL GOING STRONG, SUPPORTING SOME AMAZING LOCAL ORGANISATIONS AND MORE LOCAL PEOPLE THAN EVER” NATHAN AU, PROJECT MANAGER 2003 - 2012
2006
10 YEAR ANIVERSARY53 CHARITY PARTNERS, 102 VOLUNTEERS SHIFTING 305 TONNES OF FOOD A YEAR
307 TONNES OF FOOD TO 51 PROJECTS, OUR PARTNERSHIP WITH BRAKES STARTED
2008
SURPLUS FOOD BEING REDISTRIBUTED GREW TO OVER 20 TONNES A MONTH, WE GOT OUR FIRST FORKLIFT TRUCK WHICH ENABLED US TO RECEIVE LARGER DELIVERIES
2007
THE NUMBER OF CHARITY PARTNERS WE COULD DELIVER TO GREW TO 44
OUR 3RD MEMBER OF STAFF JOINED THE TEAM
IMPACT REPORT 2023 18
FUNDING FROM ASDA & BIODIVERSITY LANDSCAPES FUNDAIDED OUR GROWTH. WE EMPLOYED OUR FIRST TRAINING COORDINATOR
OUR REACH EXPANDED INTO SURREY 2018
“WE’VE BEEN FUNDING THE WORK OF FARESHARE SUSSEX & SURREY SINCE THEY BEGAN TWENTY YEARS AGO. WE LOVE THE WAY THEY GET SO MUCH FOOD TO COMMUNITY GROUPS THAT PROVIDE MEALS FOR ISOLATED OLDER PEOPLE ACROSS BRIGHTON AND HOVE. WE KNOW HOW MUCH RECIPIENTS VALUE THE FOOD AND THE OPPORTUNITIES MEAL CLUBS BRING FOR REDUCING ISOLATION AND CONNECTING PEOPLE. THE FACT THAT THE FOOD WOULD OTHERWISE BE WASTED BY THE FOOD INDUSTRY IS A BONUS TO US.”
GERRY WICKS, THE DODGSON FOUNDATION
WE HIT A MILESTONE, 100 CHARITY PARTNERS RECEIVING 500 TONNES OF SURPLUS FOOD A YEAR
2022
JONATHAN WILKINS, OUR CURRENT CHAIR TOOK OVER. OUR FIRST CEO ROB ORM, STARTED 2019
20TH ANNIVERSARY! DAN SLATTER BECAME OUR NEW CEO AND WE OFFICIALLY BECAME FARESHARE SUSSEX & SURREY. OUR 2ND E VAN ARRIVED
WE INVESTED IN A 3RD VAN TO BE ABLE TO REACH THE WHOLE OF SUSSEX 2014
RAPID GROWTH MEANT WE HAVE TO EXPAND INTO A 3RD WAREHOUSE IN MOULSECOOMBE 2013
2020
WE CAN’T BELIEVE THIS PARTNERSHIP IS ALMOST 20 YEARS OLD, OVER THE YEARS OUR RELATIONSHIP HAS GROWN TO SUPPORT EACH OTHER. AS WELL AS DONATING OUR DELICIOUS PIES, WE HAVE COLLABORATED ON SUSTAINABILITY ISSUES AND THE HIGGIDY TEAM ENJOY VOLUNTEERING AT THE FARESHARE SUSSEX & SURREY WAREHOUSE, SEEING FIRST-HAND WHAT HAPPENS TO OUR DONATED STOCK. IT REALLY IS A BLOOMING PARTNERSHIP AND WE ARE EXCITED FOR WHAT WE CAN ACHIEVE TOGETHER IN THE YEARS AHEAD.
RACHEL KELLEY, HIGGIDY CEO
COVID 19 - WE ALMOST TRIPLED OUR OUTPUT SENDING C 30 TONNES OF FOOD A WEEK TO 161 CHARITIES HELPING OVER 20,000 PEOPLE EVERY WEEK. OUR FIRST E VAN AND E CARGO BIKE ARRIVED
2021
THE COST OF LIVING CRISIS HITS... CHARITIES WANTING TO RECEIVE FOOD FROM US INCREASED TO 181, FOOD LEVELS STARTED TO FALL DUE TO BREXIT, CLIMATE CHANGE AND LIMITED NUMBERS OF HGV DRIVERS
“FARESHARE SUSSEX & SURREY HAS PROVIDED AN AMAZING RANGE OF FOOD FOR US HERE AT FIRST BASE DAY CENTRE FOR THE LAST 20 YEARS. OUR FOOD GETS DELIVERED BY VOLUNTEERS TWICE PER WEEK, AND HUGELY APPRECIATE THE TIME DONATED THAT HELPS US PROVIDE FOOD TO SOME OF THE MOST VULNERABLE PEOPLE IN BRIGHTON. THANK YOU, LONG MAY OUR PARTNERSHIP LAST!” GUY HAYES, OPERATIONAL MANAGER, BHT SUSSEX
19
2016
2017
EMPLOYABILITY PARTNERSHIPS IN THE COMMUNITY
Empowering people and giving them an opportunity to grow and blossom in a supportive environment is what all our employability programme and community partnerships are about.
Because of our vibrant and inclusive community, we have successfully teamed up with many local charities and community groups and services across the region that support diverse groups of people.
By partnering with The Sussex Probation Services, we offered a supportive environment for those who needed a second chance and wanted to turn their lives around.
Thanks to our collaboration with The Sussex University, we were able to provide summer internships for young students and give them an invaluable experience of working for a local charity that champions sustainability and innovation and prepares them for future careers in the third sector once they finish their course.
We run community cookery classes at our Moulsecoomb depot, as well as at some of our charity partners supporting disadvantaged groups. These give us an opportunity to raise awareness about surplus food and help people to minimise waste in their kitchens, plus inspire them to cook from scratch and repurpose leftovers.
Working together with St John’s College, we supported young people with additional needs in learning life skills and gaining confidence in the workplace, helping them on their journey towards independence. With the help of the volunteers, our current placement student is thriving, and is a much loved member of the team.
These sessions have had a wider impact than learning to cook; they have introduced the idea of volunteering and becoming involved in various grassroots projects, as well as spreading the message of sustainability and tackling inequalities even further.
IMPACT REPORT 2023 20
WE HAVE PROVIDED AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THOSE FROM MARGINALISED COMMUNITIES TO GAIN NEW SKILLS AND CONFIDENCE.
CAMERON’S STORY
Cameron joined our community cookery classes at the Youth Employment Hub in Brighton in August 2021. He had been out of work and education for a while and needed a boost in confidence. He was keen on meeting new young people like himself who were searching for new opportunities and employment.
Cameron became a regular at the Cooking with Surplus sessions. He brought lots of humour and creativity to the workshops, making it a relaxed and welcoming space for other young people joining the group. Most of the participants are neurodiverse, some suffer from anxiety and depression and attending the cooking sessions was the first group activity that they had participated in for a long time.
“GETTING INVOLVED WITH FARESHARE SUSSEX & SURREY IS AMAZING. I LEARNED SO MUCH AND FEEL MUCH MORE CONFIDENT ABOUT MY FUTURE. I MET SO MANY KIND AND SUPPORTIVE PEOPLE THERE AND CAN’T WAIT TO BE BACK IN THE KITCHEN EVERY THURSDAY. I TOLD MANY OF MY FRIENDS ABOUT THE BENEFITS OF VOLUNTEERING AND WHAT A GREAT EXPERIENCE IT IS. I CAN’T WAIT TIL SOME OF THEM JOIN THE FARESHARE SUSSEX & SURREY VOLUNTEER FAMILY.”
CAMERON
Cameron’s confidence increased and he enrolled on a college course and decided to join our employability programme. He also started volunteering in the community kitchen at FareShare Sussex & Surrey, cooking nutritious plant-based lunches for our volunteers every week using surplus food. Cameron helps with some admin
and reception tasks, has completed Food Hygiene and Manual Handling training and on occasions works in the warehouse. He is looking forward to going out in the van as a driver’s mate. He wants to visit some of our projects and encourage their clients to get involved.
Cameron also participated in the Tesco Food Drive and assists our staff members in outreach activities in the local community. As part of the one-to-one support,he attended multiple job fairs and explored further possibilities of getting onto training and placements in the media sector as his ultimate dream would be to work in TV production - ideally on a national breakfast show.
21
26 VOLUNTE�RS ON OUR EMPLOYABILITY PROGRAM�E WESUP�ORTED 17 WE HELPED VOLUNTE�RS BACK TO WORK PAID ROLES AT FARESHARE SUS�EX 3 INCLU DING WE RAN CO�KING ON A BUGDGET WORKSHOPS 211 44 HELPING PEOPLE PROVIDED FO�D FOR 17,370 VULNERABLE EVERY WE�K 1359 TONNES OF CO2E SAVED THEEQUIVALENTO F FLIGH�S FROM LONDON TO SYDNEY 272 153 WE SUP�ORTED COM�UNITY GROUPS 2022/3 IN NUMBERS OUR AVERAGE WASTE WAS 1% WE ADDED ELECTRIC VANS TO OUR FLEET 2 (⅔ OF OUR FLEET ARE ELECTRIC) VOLUNTE�RS COMPLETED FORMAL TRAINING IN FO�D SAFETY, HEALTH & SAFETY, AND MANUAL HANDLING. 74 26 VOLUNTE�RS ON OUR EMPLOYABILITY PROGRAM�E WESUP�ORTED 1359 TONNES OF CO2E SAVED THEEQUIVALENTO F FLIGH�S FROM 272 2022/3 IN NUMBERS OUR AVERAGE WASTE WAS 1% WE ADDED ELECTRIC VANS TO OUR FLEET 2 (⅔ OF OUR FLEET ARE ELECTRIC) VOLUNTE�RS COMPLETED FORMAL TRAINING IN FO�D SAFETY, HEALTH & SAFETY, AND MANUAL HANDLING. 74 26 VOLUNTE�RS ON OUR EMPLOYABILITY PROGRAM�E WESUP�ORTED 1359 TONNES OF CO2E SAVED THEEQUIVALENTO F FLIGH�S FROM LONDON TO SYDNEY 272 IN NUMBERS OUR AVERAGE WASTE WAS 1% WE ADDED ELECTRIC VANS TO OUR FLEET 2 (⅔ OF OUR FLEET ARE ELECTRIC) VOLUNTE�RS COMPLETED FORMAL TRAINING IN FO�D SAFETY, HEALTH & SAFETY, AND MANUAL HANDLING. 74 TONNES OF SURPLUS FO�D WE HAVE SAVED AND REDISTRIBUTED 26 VOLUNTE�RS ON OUR EMPLOYABILITY PROGRAM�E WESUP�ORTED 17 WE HELPED VOLUNTE�RS BACK TO WORK PAID ROLES AT FARESHARE SUS�EX 3 INCLU DING WE RAN CO�KING ON A BUGDGET WORKSHOPS 211 44 HELPING PEOPLE OUR 364 VOLUNTE�RS DONATED 24,726 HOURS WITH AN ESTIMATED VALUE OF 276,072 WE PROVIDED ENOUGH FO�D FOR 17,370 VULNERABLE PEOPLE EVERY WE�K 1359 TONNES OF CO2E SAVED THEEQUIVALENTO F FLIGH�S FROM LONDON TO SYDNEY 272 153 WE SUP�ORTED COM�UNITY GROUPS 2022/3 IN NUMBERS WE SAVED OUR CHARITY PARTNERS AN ESTIMATED 5.7 MILLION IN FO�D COSTS OUR AVERAGE WASTE WAS 1% WE ADDED ELECTRIC VANS TO OUR FLEET 2 (⅔ OF OUR FLEET ARE ELECTRIC) VOLUNTE�RS COMPLETED FORMAL TRAINING IN FO�D SAFETY, HEALTH & SAFETY, AND MANUAL HANDLING. WE DISTRIBUTED FO�D FOR 2.4MILLION MEALS 74 FARESHARE FUTURE STATS
OUR GREEN AGENDA
1,014
We are focused on aligning our work with several of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) established by the United Nations, as pictured below. These goals provide a framework for global development and address a wide range of social, economic and environmental challenges, most of which are exacerbated by food insecurity.
Our mission to rescue surplus food and distribute it to those in need tackles food waste, hunger and malnutrition, promotes good health and contributes to responsible consumption and production.
In 2022 we saved and distributed 1,014 tonnes of perfectly fresh and delicious food across Sussex and Surrey. For every tonne we redistribute we save 1.6 tonnes of CO2e and 1.5 million litres of water - that’s enough to fill 61 Olympic-sized swimming pools. Our waste levels averaged 1% last year. Any food which is unsuitable for human consumption is either anaerobically digested or composted
in partnership with Whitehawk Allotments and Nature Through Nurture.
Our efforts to mitigate climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions extends beyond food; through collective action in our Green Team we have upgraded to three Electric Vans, two more than last year, and have swapped our energy providers to sustainable and greener alternatives based on 100% renewables. Through partnerships with local food companies, we are able to foster community engagement and maximise our collaborative efforts for improved local environments.
Food insecurity is a common thread linking all 17 SDGs and is at the foundations for multiple intersectionalities of inequality across the UK, including gender, race, age and class - our charity partners support people across all these areas.
GOALS FOR 2023:
• NEW E-BIKE - WE CURRENTLY SHIFT 1.25 TONNES A WEEK FEEDING 1,600 USING OUR E-BIKE. AN ADDITIONAL E-BIKE WILL AMPLIFY THE AMOUNT OF FOOD WE CAN DELIVER LOCALLY, INCREASING OUR CAPACITY TO DELIVER 3.5 TONNES FEEDING OVER 4,000 A WEEK.
• SOLAR PANELS - BRIGHTON IS KNOWN AS THE ‘SUNSHINE CITY’ OF THE UK, SO HARNESSING NATURAL SUNLIGHT WOULD REDUCE GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS AND IN THE LONG TERM REDUCE ENERGY COSTS.
• SETTING UP OUR SURREY EXPANSION MORE SUSTAINABLYWE WANT TO BEGIN WITH THE MOST ECO-FRIENDLY OPTIONS: WE WILL ENSURE ALL LIGHT FIXTURES ARE LED, ENROL ONTO A GENUINE RENEWABLE ENERGY PROVIDER, SOURCE LOCAL RECYCLING AND COMPOSTING INITIATIVES FOR WASTE MANAGEMENT AND USE COMPOSTABLE AND SUSTAINABLE PACKAGING RATHER THAN PLASTIC FOR OUR MEAL PRODUCTION.
TONNES OF SURPLUS FO�D WE SAVED AND REDISTRIBUTED 26 VOLUNTE�RS ON OUR EMPLOYABILITY PROGRAM�E WESUP�ORTED 17 WE HELPED VOLUNTE�RS BACK TO WORK PAID ROLES AT FARESHARE SUS�EX 3 INCLUDING WE RAN CO�KING ON A BUGDGET WORKSHOPS 211 44 HELPING PEOPLE OUR 364 VOLUNTE�RS DONATED 24,726 HOURS WITH AN ESTIMATED VALUE OF £276,072 WE PROVIDED ENOUGH FO�D FOR 17,370 VULNERABLE PEOPLE EVERY WE�K 1,359 TONNES OF CO2E SAVED THEEQUIVALENTO F FLIGH�S FROM LONDON TO SYDNEY 272 153 WE SUP�ORTED COM�UNITY GROUPS
WE SAVED OUR CHARITY PARTNERS AN ESTIMATED £5.7 MILLION IN FO�D COSTS OUR AVERAGE FOOD WASTE WAS 1% WE ADDED ELECTRIC VAN TO OUR FLEET 1 VOLUNTE�RS COMPLETED FORMAL TRAINING IN FO�D SAFETY, HEALTH & SAFETY, AND MANUAL HANDLING. WE DISTRIBUTED FO�D FOR 2.4MILLION MEALS 74 PROGRAM�E OUR 364 VOLUNTE�RS DONATED 24,726 HOURS WITH AN ESTIMATED VALUE OF £276,072 WE PROVIDED ENOUGH FO�D FOR 17,370 VULNERABLE PEOPLE EVERY WE�K 1,359 TONNES OF CO2E SAVED THEEQUIVALENTO F FLIGH�S FROM LONDON TO SYDNEY 272 153 WE SUP�ORTED COM�UNITY GROUPS 2022/3 IN NUMBERS WE SAVED OUR CHARITY PARTNERS AN ESTIMATED £5.7 MILLION IN FO�D COSTS OUR AVERAGE FOOD WASTE WAS 1% VOLUNTE�RS COMPLETED FORMAL TRAINING IN FO�D SAFETY, HEALTH & SAFETY, AND MANUAL HANDLING. 74 OUR 364 VOLUNTE�RS DONATED 24,726 HOURS WITH AN ESTIMATED VALUE OF £276,072 WE PROVIDED ENOUGH FO�D FOR 17,370 VULNERABLE PEOPLE EVERY WE�K 1,359 TONNES OF CO2E SAVED THEEQU VALENTO F FLIGH�S FROM LONDON TO SYDNEY 272 153 WE SUP�ORTED COM�UNITY GROUPS 2022/3 IN NUMBERS WE SAVED OUR CHARITY PARTNERS AN ESTIMATED £5.7 MILLION IN FO�D COSTS OUR AVERAGE FOOD WASTE WAS 1% VOLUNTE�RS COMPLETED FORMAL TRAINING IN FO�D SAFETY, HEALTH & SAFETY, AND MANUAL HANDLING. 74 1,014 TONNES OF SURPLUS FO�D WE SAVED AND REDISTRIBUTED 26 VOLUNTE�RS ON OUR EMPLOYABILITY PROGRAM�E WESUP�ORTED 17 WE HELPED VOLUNTE�RS BACK TO WORK PAID ROLES FARESHARE SUS�EX 3 INCLUDING WE RAN CO�KING ON A BUGDGET WORKSHOPS 211 44 HELPING PEOPLE OUR 364 VOLUNTE�RS DONATED 24,726 HOURS WITH AN ESTIMATED VALUE OF £276,072 WE PROVIDED ENOUGH FO�D FOR 17,370 VULNERABLE PEOPLE EVERY WE�K 1,359 TONNES OF CO2E SAVED THEEQUIVALENTO F FLIGH�S FROM LONDON TO SYDNEY 272 153 WE SUP�ORTED COM�UNITY GROUPS 2022/3 IN NUMBERS WE SAVED OUR CHARITY PARTNERS AN ESTIMATED £5.7 MILLION IN FO�D COSTS OUR AVERAGE FOOD WASTE WAS 1% WE ADDED ELECTRIC VAN TO OUR FLEET 1 VOLUNTE�RS COMPLETED FORMAL TRAINING IN FO�D SAFETY, HEALTH & SAFETY, AND MANUAL HANDLING. WE DISTRIBUTED FO�D FOR 2.4MILLION MEALS 74 IMPACT REPORT 2023 22
2022/3 IN NUMBERS
“THE SUSSEX COMMUNITY FOUNDATION WERE DELIGHTED TO BE ABLE TO SUPPORT FARESHARE SUSSEX & SURREY, THROUGH OUR RAMPION FUND. THE SUSTAINABLE VALUES OF THE CHARITY ALIGN WELL WITH OUR OWN, THEY GO FURTHER THAN JUST RESCUING FOOD FROM GOING TO WASTE BUT SET GREEN GOALS EACH QUARTER, ONE OF WHICH WE HELPED THEM ACHIEVE WITH A GRANT OF £10,000 TOWARDS THE PURCHASE OF AN ELECTRIC POWERED VAN, WHICH SHOULD SAVE AROUND 4,800KG OF CO2 ANNUALLY AND WHEN ELECTRICITY PRICES RETURN TO NORMAL SHOULD SAVE FARESHARE SUSSEX & SURREY £1,800 PER YEAR. A WIN FOR FARESHARE SUSSEX & SURREY AND A WIN FOR OUR ENVIRONMENT.”
23
Keith Hollis, Chair, Rampion Community Benefit Fund
EXPANDING INTO SURREY
Over a number of years, we have been crossing the Sussex borders into neighbouring Surrey to support a limited number of partners with surplus food. Surrey’s nine boroughs and two districts have an affluent reputation. Whilst this reputation in largely justified, census data shows pockets of high deprivation and need. In partnership with local authorities, charities and community groups, we will target our food where it will make the greatest impact.
In order to provide more food that is being requested by both existing charity partners and those on our waiting list we need a permanent base in the county. There are two main reasons for our conclusion. Firstly it is about range and distances. Our vehicles travelling up and down the A/ M23 from the South Coast limits the amount of trips we can manage, quantity of food we can move and length of time our volunteer Food Heroes are out on deliveries and collections. We are very conscious of the food miles we are adding. Secondly we know that having a permanent base makes accessing surplus in the county a lot more achievable. The new Regional Food Sourcing role is key to unlocking surplus food in Surrey.
We are not only working closely with local charity and community partners to make this happen but also with Surrey County Council to take this big development step.
Surrey has also opened an opportunity with our friends at Foodwise and Neat 2 Eat to take on running a Production Kitchen. The kitchen will allow us to say yes to more as well as difficult-to-use surplus and turn it into delicious, nutritionally packed meals.
SURREY WILL ALLOW US TO HAVE A FOCUS ON FROZEN FOOD AS WE DRAMATICALLY INCREASE OUR FROZEN STORAGE CAPACITY. IN ORDER TO PROCESS MORE FROZEN SURPLUS WE ARE PLANNING TO PILOT A NEW ‘FROZEN MEMBERSHIP’ OFFER
We will take all our best learning and honed skills from 20 years in Sussex into neighbouring Surrey. This will include our developed community volunteering programme as well as skills and employability opportunities, student internships and corporate partnership volunteering.
IMPACT REPORT 2023 24
25
FARESHAREGO
FareShare Go is a free service that provides good quality end of day surplus food for charities and community groups to top up their existing food supply and help them to reduce their costs.
FareShare Go connects charities and community groups with local supermarkets and restaurants to access this endof-day surplus food during a designated collection slot each week. Our current food partners include Tesco, ASDA, Waitrose & Partners, Booker, Nando’s and KFC.
The food offered through FareShare Go varies; it depends on what surplus food is available at a particular outlet each day.
Nando’s and KFC donate cooked chicken, whereas supermarket collections often include bread, eggs, fresh fruit and vegetables, and sometimes chilled items such as meat and ready meals.
It will typically be ‘yellow sticker food’; the food will always be within the use by date and is perfectly good to eat but can no longer be sold.
Charities can sign up to either FareShare Go or FareShare Sussex & Surrey membership or both at the same time. The two schemes complement each other to help groups source as much surplus food as possible for vulnerable people in the community.
FARESHARE GO IN NUMBERS:
126 COMMUNITY GROUPS AND CHARITIES
108 UNIQUE FARESHAREGO COMMUNITY GROUPS
HELPING AN ADDITIONAL 15,000 VULNERABLE PEOPLE A WEEK
PROVIDING 1.24 MILLION MEALS
THROUGH 520 TONNES OF SURPLUS FOOD
“WE ONLY STARTED A YEAR AGO WITH FARESHARE GO, WE PICK UP FROM ABOUT 4 OR 5 SUPERMARKETS, THE BREAD IS LOVELY AND WE PUT IT OUT ON THE FREE TABLE. WE’VE STARTED PICKING UP FROM KFC RECENTLY, WE’RE GETTING 30 KILOS AT A TIME. IT’S UP AND DOWN, BUT WE USUALLY GET LOTS OF BREAD AND LOTS OF VEG. IT’S THINGS THAT PEOPLE DON’T JUST NEED BUT IT’S NICE FOR THEM TO HAVE, LIKEVSNACKS AND DRINKS. OF COURSE, IT’S A LOT CHEAPER HERE, WE SAY TO PEOPLE - COME HERE FIRST, AND THEN YOU’VE GOT MONEY TO GO TO THE SUPERMARKET TO BUY YOUR ESSENTIALS WITH.”
SUE MORRIS, TRUSTEE OF SEASIDE COMMUNITY HUB, EASTBOURNE
IMPACT REPORT 2023 26
WHAT’S NEXT IN 2023?
SUSTAINABILITY
2023 will see us add another electric van to our fleet and decommission another diesel van. We are committed to having the majority of our fleet electric by 2023 and the whole fleet as technology and battery range enables.
As part of our Green Team long term aims we plan to add solar panels to our warehouse in Brighton and to reduce paper consumption by using a travel planning app on our delivery routes.
LOGISTICS
We are seeking to add new vehicles to our fleet with one aim being to improve our frozen logistic capacity. This will enable us to accept and move the increased volume of food around the region, and to safely move our frozen meals from the production kitchen to our freezers in our Guildford and Brighton depots.
EMPLOYABILITY
Building on the success of our current FareShare Futures programme and our learning in this field, our Brighton depot will shift to provide an employability offer to those on probation and on day release from open prison.
We aim to launch our employability programme in our Surrey production kitchen in 2024, helping 18-25 year old NEETs (not in Education, Employment or Training) gain catering work experience.
SURREY
We will open a new depot and production kitchen in Surrey in 2023, with the aim of supporting 30 new charity partners in our first year.
The new Surrey warehouse will enable us to significantly increase our food volumes’ allowing us to deliver between 150 - 200 tons of in date surplus food a month by the end of 2024.
VOLUNTEERS
We are launching a recruitment drive to recruit new volunteers to support our work in the production kitchen and new depot in Surrey - we need eight volunteers a day in the kitchen and four a day in the new warehouse.
Always striving to help empower our volunteers - last year we provided accredited training for 74 volunteers. This year we aim to support 100 through formal training in Food Safety Health & Safety, and manual handling.
CHARITY PARTNERS
With the increase in food coming into our depots we aim to increase our charity partners from 150 to 200 across the three counties by the end of 2024.
We hope to build stronger relationships with our charity partners being more supportive and collaborative with the introduction of our new Community Partnership Coordinator.
We will support a new mobile pantry scheme in Surrey in c.15 locations,v helping to get food to those in poverty in rural areas.
FOOD
With the help of our new Regional Food Sourcing Manager we aim to double the amount of surplus food coming from our local food suppliers by the end of the year.
We aim to maintain the nutritional value of the food we supply - 53% of the food we provide is fresh fruit, vegetables and dairy - we’re passionate about giving the people we serve the best possible health and well being impact.
We aim to provide 3.5 million meals next year to 200 charity partners; helping 25,000 vulnerable people each and every week.
DIVERSITY
1 2 4 5 6 7 8 3
We have set up a new People & Culture group to ensure we are as inclusive and diverse as the communities we serve. We have set targets within our recruitment for both paid and voluntary colleagues to ensure we create a diverse workforce.
27
“AS A TRUST WE DISTRIBUTE SMALL POTS OF MONEY WHERE WE THINK THEY CAN MAKE THE MOST IMPACT AND SUPPORT PEOPLE ON THE FRONT LINE OF THE CURRENT COST OF LIVING CRISIS. BY GIVING TO FARESHARE SUSSEX & SURREY, FOR THE WORK THEY DO EXCLUSIVELY ACROSS SUSSEX, WE KNOW THAT OUR MONEY HAS A HUGE IMPACT AT WHAT IS A CHALLENGING TIME FOR MANY.”
IMPACT REPORT 2023 28
Richard Piggott, Homity Trust
INVESTING IN THE FUTURE
We are happy to report a surplus in 2022/23 in spite of the turbulent national economic conditions. The Development team was enlarged and strengthened which resulted in a higher voluntary income than 2021/22. Following the financial performance in the year 2022-23 the trustees established a designated fund of £250,000 to support our expansion into Surrey, reserved for opening a new warehouse and production kitchen during the summer of 2023. We also passed on the benefits of a surplus year to all our Community Food Members by freezing fees for the first quarter of 2023-24. Full year accounts will be available from the Charity Commission. All figures are subject to auditing.
INCOME
EXPENDITURE
The charity operates a reserves policy set by the Board of Trustees and reviewed annually. Reserves are required to ensure the continued smooth operation of the charity, to cope with any unexpected eventualities and enable any one-off expenditure that is deemed appropriate for the charity.
29
52% £387,410 Trusts & Foundations 14% £109,126 Individuals (Inc. Gift Aid) 9% £72,163 Corporate 3% £25,376 Govn. Grants 20% £156,138 Charity Partner Fees 2% £12,828 Other £763,041 Total
94.9% £580,579 Charitable activities 5% £30,788 Cost of generating income/Fundraising 0.1% £529 Governance costs £611,896 Total Reserves
FOR EVERY £1 SPENT, 95P IS SPENT ON CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES.
TOGETHER WE MAKE GOOD THINGS HAPPEN
As a charity we are delighted to have so many people and organisations choose to support us. From running marathons to collecting food, there are so many ways people can help us to Fight Hunger and Tackle Food Waste.
• PROPELLERNET HAVE DONATED OVER £28,000 WORTH OF PRO-BONO SUPPORT TO HELP WITH OUR DIGITAL PRESENCE
• ALEX RAN THE BRIGHTON MARATHON IN 2023, RAISING £440
• BRIGHTON MET COLLEGE COLLECTED 820 CANS OF FOOD AND 20 PACKETS OF CEREAL ACROSS THEIR 3 SITES
• RIVERSTONE INTERNATIONAL MADE A DONATION TO HELP US CONTINUE OUR WORK FEEDING HUNGRY PEOPLE
• RAMPION WIND FARM SPONSORED ONE OF OUR ELECTRIC VANS, MEANING WE CAN CONTINUE TO DELIVER FOOD WITH LITTLE COST TO THE ENVIRONMENT
• SAINSBURYS WEST HOVE CHOSE US AS THEIR CHARITY OF THE YEAR
• TOM TOOK PART IN AN EPIC LANDS END CYCLING CHALLENGE AND RAISED MORE THAN £2,000
• THE SANTA BUS, RUN BY BRIGHTON & HOVE BUSES, RAISED £2,206 THROUGH THEIR CHRISTMAS COMMUNITY FUNDRAISING BUS
• MORE RADIO HELD THEIR 10,000 TINS APPEAL TO COLLECT FOOD ON OUR BEHALF
• TESCO’S CUSTOMERS DONATED 90 TONNES OF FOOD IN FOOD COLLECTION BASKET AT STORES ACROSS THE REGION
WE’VE NEVER NEEDED OUR COMMUNITY MORE … FIND OUT HOW TO GET INVOLVED AT WWW.FARESHARESUSSEXANDSURREY.ORG.UK
IMPACT REPORT 2023 30
A MASSIVE THANK YOU
To all our supporters.
We are ever so grateful for the enduring generosity of our supporters and partners who have donated their time, food, money and professional skills so selflessly during this particularly challenging time, including those who wish to remain anonymous. Your support ensures our stability.
TRUSTS AND FOUNDATIONS
29th May 1961 Charitable Trust
Albert Van Den Bergh Charitable Trust
Arnold Clark Community Fund
Chalk Cliff Trust
Charlotte Marshall Trust
Clark Charitable Trust
Community Trust of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Desmond Foundation
Dodgson Foundation
East Brighton Trust
Garfield Weston Foundation
Guy Fawkes Charitable Trust
Homity Trust
Ian Askew Charitable Trust
Mrs A Lacy Tate Charitable Trust
Pebble Trust
Police Property Act Fund
Postcode Society Trust
Rampion Community Benefit Fund of Sussex Community Foundation
Rest-Harrow Trust
RG Hills Charitable Trust
RS Brownless Charitable Trust
Schroder Charitable Trust
Silver Lady Fund
Souter Charitable Trust
Sussex Community Foundation
Volant Charitable Trust
Weinstock Fund
Wickens Family Trust
WO Street Charitable Trust
PARTNERSHIPS
Brighton and Hove Food Partnership
Brighton and Hove Surplus Food Network
Brighton and Hove Council
Brighton Housing Trust
Brighton Rotary Club
Sandra Staufer Design
University of Brighton
University of Sussex
Whitehawk Allotment Society
LOCAL SUPPLIERS
Barfoots Bookers
Brakes
Brighton Permaculture Trust
Down to Earth
Goldstorm Organic Foods
Healthy Food Brands Ltd
Higgidy
Infinity Foods Wholesale
Lizzies Food Factory
Nutbourne Tomatoes
Shrub Provisions
Tangmere Peppers
The Macs Farm
The Organic Protein Co.
Warburtons
CORPORATE PARTNERS
Brighton MET College
City Food Share
Croudace Homes Ltd
Euromonitor International
Horsham Coffee Roasters
More Radio
Platform9
Propellernet
Riverstone Management Ltd
Sainsbury’s West Hove
Sussex Innovation
Tesco Community Fund
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FareShare Sussex & Surrey, Unit 3-4 Fairway Business
Centre, Westergate Road, Brighton, BN2 4JZ
Registered Charity Number: 1093245
Tel: 01273 671 111
Email: info@faresharesussexandsurrey.org.uk
Website: faresharesussexandsurrey.org.uk
Since our inception in 2002, we have been trading through our parent charity, City Gate Community Projects. Printed on 100% recycled materials.