General Mills has announced an additional £50,000 donation to FareShare to further support food security across the East of England and employability training initiatives via New Horizons in Merseyside.
The company said it is delighted to bolster its long-standing work with the charity that works to alleviate food poverty and reduce food waste.
Half of this donation will support FareShare’s long-term commitment in Merseyside and North Wales, where there are plans to transition to a larger warehouse facility to enhance food distribution in the region.
This expansion will also bolster the on-site employability support provided by the New Horizons training programme, tackling the root causes of food insecurity, which General Mills has supported since its inception in 2022.
Building on the success of the New Horizons initiative, General Mills has announced the launch of GEMSHARE: a collaborative mentoring programme that pairs New Horizons’ participants with mentors at General Mills.
Through GEMSHARE, individuals will benefit from personalised mentoring sessions, workshops and task-based assigments, tailored to develop and strengthen their professional capabilities, working on both hard and soft skills that are acutely relevant to the food and beverage and logistics sectors.
The other half of this donation will support FareShare’s recent acquisition of new premises in the East of England, helping to facilitate broader food distribution across Suffolk, Norfolk, Cambridgeshire and Essex, optimising and professionalising operations in these regions.
“We are very proud to support the incredible work that FareShare does to tackle hunger, food waste and poverty. With our latest donation, we hope to not only address immediate food insecurity but also play a part in forming sustainable, meaningful solutions, ensuring long-lasting positive change,” Jonathan Bennett, director of external relations at General Mills, said.
“Our partnership with New Horizons has been a cornerstone of our efforts to address the root causes of food insecurity, offering practical training, employability skills, mentorship, and mental health support to those who need it the most. As of now, we are pleased to say that 58% of participants who completed the programme have secured full-time employment or continued their education, and with the launch of GEMSHARE, we hope to build on this success further.”
