London branch of UK food charity receives funding boost for food redistribution in the fight against hunger
Aberdeen Standard Investments Charitable Foundation is helping the London branch of UK charity, FareShare, in the fight against hunger and food waste. A £5,000 donation from the global asset manager will allow the charity to deliver 20,000 meals to vulnerable people in London.
In the UK, 250,000 tonnes of edible food - equivalent to 650m meals - goes to waste each year. At the same time, it is estimated 8.4m people currently struggle to afford to eat. FareShare addresses these two interconnected issues, providing a social solution to an environmental problem. The charity saves good food from going to waste and redistributes it to charities and community projects across the UK, including homeless shelters, school breakfast clubs, rehab programmes and elderly lunch clubs. These charities then transform the food into nutritious meals for people in need. The food sent out is fresh, good quality and in-date surplus from the food and drink industry.
The positive outcomes of this initiative are numerous: food not wasted and those in need are provided with good quality food. The charity is also keeping food out of landfill, preventing CO2 damage to the atmosphere. Redistributing food also has a positive socio-economic impact. By collecting food which would otherwise go to waste, the UK economy benefits by £51m every year.
Lindsey Cape, head of fundraising at FareShare, says: “Put simply, we turn an environmental problem into a social and economic solution. We save food and help to change lives.
“Food waste in the UK is a serious issue – 270,000 tonnes of food goes to waste by the food industry each year. At the same time, more than 8m people go without food on a regular basis. This is precisely what our work seeks to address.
“FareShare is envisaging a big increase of surplus food coming in to our London warehouse and it’s important that we prepare for this increase which will allow us to sort out and deliver to our charity partners across the capital. The financial support we received from Aberdeen Standard Investments’ Charitable Foundation is vital for us to be able to achieve this.”
The charity anticipates that it will provide food to over 300 community organisations over the coming year, which will see the funding impacting on the health and well-being of over 33,000 people each week.
Claire Drummond, head of charitable giving for Aberdeen Standard Investments said: “The services offered by FareShare London provide support for people suffering from food poverty. The charity’s extended networks are making a difference in peoples’ lives across the UK. Charities catering for the needy and the homeless who struggle financially, in the London area, receive the help they so desperately need thanks to FareShare’s commitment to people in need. We know by supporting them, we are also supporting a wider voluntary sector and we are proud to contribute to the fight against hunger.”
The Aberdeen Charitable Foundation was established in 2012 to formalise and develop the Group’s charitable giving globally. The Foundation seeks partnerships with smaller charities around the world, where funds can be seen to have a meaningful and measurable impact. It encourages its employees to use their time and skills to support its charitable projects. For more information visit
http://aboutus.aberdeen-asset.com/en/aboutus/responsible-business/aberdeen-charitable
Claire Drummond, head of charitable giving of Aberdeen Standard Investments