SPAR UK donates £250,000 to FareShare

Following SPAR UK’s announcement this September that the symbol group had partnered with food redistribution charity FareShare to launch its Giving One Million Meals campaign, a donation of £250,000 has now been made to the charity.

The campaign saw SPAR UK pledge a £250,000 donation to FareShare, enabling the charity to provide the equivalent of one million meals through the local charities they work with in SPAR communities.* The donation was presented to FareShare members at the South Midlands regional centre on Friday 24^th November, where SPAR UK's central office team joined them on a volunteering day.

Suzanne Dover, SPAR UK Brand and Marketing Director, said, “Supporting the community is at the heart of what we do. It was a privilege to volunteer at FareShare’s regional centre and see how SPAR UK’s donation will make a real difference to our communities this winter.”

FareShare is the UK’s longest running food redistribution charity who believe that no good food should go to waste, especially when people are going hungry. This belief is as central to their work now as it was 25 years ago. According to FareShare, seven million people in the UK are struggling to afford to eat. This represents one in 10 of the UK population.

Polly Bianchi, Director of Fundraising at FareShare, said, “The donation of the equivalent of one million meals will make a significant contribution to our work getting good-to-eat food, which might otherwise go to waste, to people who need it. As the winter months approach, our network of 8,500 charities across the UK will be working hard to provide hearty, nourishing meals for people in their communities. Each group provides vital wraparound services to support people impacted by the cost of living crisis and the contribution made by SPAR will go a long way to strengthening those communities.”

The Giving One Million Meals was supported with instore POS and across digital channels, with blog posts and TikTok content creators to reinforce the message of supporting those in need and minimising food waste. Britvic and Coca-Cola were also part of SPAR’s first One Million Meals campaign and contributed to the £250,000 donation.

Nicola Tovell, SPAR UK Marketing Campaign Manager, added, “It’s been great to work on this campaign with FareShare and see firsthand the difference they are making to local communities. On our volunteer day we got to meet John, a volunteer from Hitchin Pantry, who said they simply couldn’t operate without FareShare.”

To find out more about SPAR’s Giving One Million Meals campaign and how FareShare can be supported by a donation or volunteering at the nearest warehouse, visit https://www.spar.co.uk/community/one-million-meals/