FareShare Glasgow and the West of Scotland has served up more than 1 million meal portions to people in need since the start of lockdown.

The social enterprise, run by homelessness prevention charity Move On, take surplus food from right across the food industry and redistribute it to frontline organisations feeding vulnerable people. The food distributed includes everything from meat, dairy and fish to vegetables, pasta and tins.

Through a network of charities and community groups, FareShare Glasgow and the West of Scotland are able to provide food right across the region, from Dumfries and Galloway to Mull. The organisations that receive food from the charity’s South Street depot include children’s breakfast clubs, homeless hostels, mental health organisations and older people’s lunch clubs.

As well as people struggling financially, many of FareShare Glasgow and the West of Scotland’s charity partners are now also delivering food to high-risk people who have to stay home to shield from the virus. Much of the food is being turned into food parcels or home cooked meals and delivered door to door.

Director of Operations, Jim Burns, said “We’re extremely proud to have distributed so much good food to organisations feeding people in need. The demand for emergency food has soared during the pandemic and we’re working harder than ever to keep up.”

“We’ve seen a record number of charities requesting to join our network since lockdown, with our numbers swelling from 90 to 235 members. From community centres to food banks, we’re providing food to be turned into meals for people who are at the biggest risk of going hungry during the pandemic.”

“We’ve had fantastic feedback from individuals and families, who have said our food supply is really helping alleviate some of the stress during this difficult time.”

“1 million meal portions is an incredible milestone for us, but we won’t stop there. Our team of staff and volunteers are working tirelessly to continue providing food to the hundreds of charities across Glasgow and the West of Scotland supporting the most vulnerable people in our communities during the crisis.”

If your charity or community group is interested in accessing food from FareShare Glasgow and the West of Scotland, please contact John Connell on johnc@moveon.org.uk

(Update provided by Move On)