Delivering more than just meals
DEMAND FOR FOOD HAS TRIPLED IN LAST YEAR
DEMAND for food in the North East’s most deprived areas has almost tripled since the start of the coronavirus pandemic – and it shows no signs of declining.
Fare Share North East has seen numbers relying on its support skyrocket in the past year, particularly among frontline organisations providing food to children and their families.
The charity, based in Westerhope, Newcastle, distributed 163 tonnes of food last month to local charities and organisations – enough to provide 388,100 meals.
This represents a major hike from the 63 tonnes, equivalent to 150,000 meals, FareS hare North East dispatched in January 2020.
To help meet this additional demand, housing association Your Homes Newcastle (YHN) has doubled the amount of storage space it provides to Fare Share for the duration of the crisis.
Food is supplied to around 200 projects across the region, including food banks, homeless charities, domestic violence refuges, schools and day centres.
Jake Hanmore, Fare Share North East chief executive, said: “The Covid-19 crisis has brought a challenge like nothing Fare Share has ever seen before.
“Demand for our service has never been higher and we have more than doubled the amount of food we distribute each week to respond to the pandemic.
“Unfortunately, the hard work is far from over and 90% of charities we supply say that demand will either remain the same as crisis levels or even increase in the coming weeks.
“We’re doing everything we can to continue to get food onto people’s plates, whether that’s delivering fresh food to homeless hostels or providing community projects with the packets and tins they need to get vital food supplies onto the doorsteps of families who are self-isolating.
“We’re incredibly grateful to our team of volunteers who have gone above and beyond to get this food out, and to everyone who has supported us.”
Products supplied by Fare Share North East is surplus from manufacturers, supermarkets and farmers for a range of reasons including over-production, labelling errors or short shelf life.
Around 90% of charities Fare Share serves across the UK say that demand will remain at crisis levels over the coming months.
Among those is Hebburn Helps, which provides food to hundreds of vulnerable families across the town every week.
Founders Jo Durkin and Angie Comerford have seen the charity become a vital part of the community, managing an emergency food, clothing and hygiene bank as well as a play scheme called The Grub Hub which operates during the school holidays.
Jo said: “It’s brilliant what Fare Share gives us. We couldn’t have provided so many meals without them.
“Before Fare Share, our foodbank relied mostly on donations from the community and whilst it’s brilliant to have their support, with Fare Share we’re able to provide a wider range of items.”
Susie (not real name) works as a nurse and relies on food parcels from Hebburn Helps to provide for her nine-year-old son.
She said: “It can be really hard as a single mum, especially because my job doesn’t always guarantee me enough shifts.
“Sometimes I have had to go without to make sure there’s enough there for Adam. But he has noticed that I’ve skipped meals before and he knows I struggle. It’s not something a nine-year-old should have to worry about.
“That’s why Angie and Jo and Hebburn Helps are so lovely. We can come to the Grub Club, chat with other mums and kids and eat together – and that’s one less meal I have to worry about that day. They’ve helped us out a lot.”
With the Covid-19 crisis pushing thousands of people into financial hardship, many more families will struggle to put food on the table this year.
Chronicle Live and Reach plc have partnered with Barclays to support Fare Share’s Fill a Tummy campaign.
The charity receives food for free but needs funds to cover the cost of delivery vans, fuel and overheads at the warehouse.
For every £1 donated by readers between now and February 28, Barclays will add £2.
Through public donations, £5 could provide food for a woman and her children at a women’s refuge for one week, or £20 could provide the equivalent of two meals a week at a community centre for a family.
To donate, go to www.barclays.co.uk/fareshare