Global logistics join big drive to

WAREHOUSE IN MAGNA PARK IS NATIONAL DISTRIBUTION HUB

BRITAIN’S biggest food charity has teamed up with a global logistics giant to manage two new national distribution centres, one in Leicestershire, providing almost 10 million meals to vulnerable people through the pandemic.

To meet unprecedented demand, FareShare is working with XPO Logistics to operate the warehouses in Lutterworth and Banbury, Oxfordshire,

The county warehouse, in Magna Park, has been donated by Asda as part of its campaign to help FareShare and the Trussell Trust get food to those who need it most.

As well as donating the warehouse space, Asda has made a £5 million donation, split between both charities, which will continue the work of Fight Hunger Create Change – a partnership between the three organisations that aims to tackle the root causes of poverty.

The FareShare network, made up of 17 food redistribution organisations, has been supplying 11,000 charities and community groups with more than double the amount of food it would normally be providing.

Applications from new charities wishing to receive food have tripled.

All the items have either been donated by retailers or purchased with funding from Defra and so far more than 4,141 tonnes of food has been redistributed through the Lutterworth and Banbury warehouses.

XPO Logistics is donating staff time and resources at both warehouse sites and running the operation on the ground.

FareShare, meanwhile, is working with the food industry to divert food supplies to each site. The supplies will then be sent on to FareShare’s 30-strong network of warehouses across the UK as well as to Trussell Trust sites and other food redistribution organisations such as City Harvest and Felix Project.

Both sites deal with non-perishable food, used by charities for food parcels which have been delivered to people’s doorsteps during the lockdown.

Lindsay Boswell, FareShare chief executive, said: “The crisis has presented FareShare with a challenge like nothing we’ve ever experienced.

“We’ve had to significantly adapt our operations while demand for our service has soared, and continues to soar.

“With millions more people now struggling to access food as the result of the crisis, it has never been more vital to pull together to ensure the most vulnerable in our society don’t fall through the gaps.