Aberdeen charity hands out nearly 1 million meals in a year

An Aberdeen based charity are thrilled after new figures show that in the last year alone they’ve redistributed enough surplus food to create more than 964,000 nutritious meals for local people in need.

FareShare Grampian, operated by Community Food Initiatives North East receives surplus food from manufacturers, producers and retail suppliers and redistributes it to more than 160 local frontline charities and community groups, including homeless organisations, women’s refuges and breakfast clubs for disadvantaged children. The charities then either transform it into nutritious meals or make the produce available to individuals and families in need. The produce invariably is provided along with support to help people get back on their feet. The charity relies on the surplus food it receives through the FareShare network, companies who run food drives, and generous donations from the general public.

Graeme Robbie, CFINE Development Worker, at FareShare Grampian, said: “We’re generating enough food for more than 964,000 meals for vulnerable people every year - it’s an incredible achievement, and one that wouldn’t be possible without the support of our incredible volunteers, and of course support and donations from our suppliers, corporates and general public. The FareShare produce we distribute is surplus because of overproduction or packaging errors, never because it’s out of date. In fact, the food is extremely high quality. We’re so grateful for the volunteers who sort and pack the food and deliver it to charities who provide much-needed meals, food parcels and snacks to hundreds of people every day. It’s a great feeling knowing that so much food that would have been thrown away is being put to good use.”

One of the charities who benefits from the scheme is Aberdeen Cyrenians. The charity has been helping homeless people and people experiencing extreme hardship for more than 48 years. Jenna Ingram at Aberdeen Cyrenians said: “FareShare is a fantastic support for our community services. We receive large quantities of fresh food which we can give in food parcels and prepare hot meals for our vulnerable service user group. It helps us save funds where we would otherwise have to purchase meat and vegetables. This support is especially important for our volunteer led Street Alternatives service where we offer hot three course meals to those rough sleeping and to those who do not have access to cooking facilities. Food donations are invaluable in meeting this basic need but also for bringing people in to access our other support services.”