Over 11 tonnes of food donated to local charity
FareShare Sussex and Surrey are attempting to get 20 tonnes of surplus food donated to local groups
Over the past week FareShare Surrey and Sussex have received over 11 tonnes of donated food.
This is part of their Christmas campaign where they are trying to deliver a total of 20 tonnes of surplus food to various local groups and charities.
The food is currently being processed at a warehouse in Guildford, where around 50 regular volunteers help with the process.
One of the volunteers, Claire says that she was blown away by people's generosity
"It's fantastic. It's been absolutely brilliant this year. We've got loads of stuff coming in, everyone's been brilliant.
Everyone feels more generous at Christmas even though a lot of people are struggling and they're still managing to give."
Another volunteer, Nigel who was at the warehouse but also works as a delivery driver, says it's incredibly rewarding to see food that would go to waste, be put to significant use
"For me, it's very rewarding, not just working here but actually seeing where it goes to. So to actually see who benefits from this is a real, it's really rewarding. It's sort of quite a bit of an eye-opener as well.
It's amazing. I think what people give, especially in these sort of times, I think is incredible. And to be thinking of others, I think is just a really amazing thing to do"
It's Nigel's second year volunteering at the warehouse, he told us this Christmas was significantly more busy than last year.
"It's got busier, yeah definitely, which I think is a good thing in so much as we're getting more food in so we can actually give out to more charities, but it also highlights I suppose the demand that's out there for people who actually need this food."
Last year, the charity provided over 6 million meals in 2024.
This year, they're aiming to fill 200 thousand plates this Christmas
FareShare Surrey and Sussex CEO Dan Slatter says that Christmas is a critical time for charities
"I think Christmas is one of those wonderful times of year where people do think about more than their immediate self in their day-to-day life.
And so it is a really important time for the whole charity sector to engage with the public over the different work that we're doing"
The Charity is still accepting donations and is aiming to hit the 20 tonne donation total by the end of the week.
They have also launched their Big Give campaign.
Throughout the week, all donations received will be doubled as the charity looks to make the most of the festive period.
It comes as recent statistics from the food delivery service reveal 83% of local charities in the area are facing a higher demand on services this year.
Details for both campaigns can be found on the FareShare Surrey and Sussex website