Team works with FareShare on Christmas Food Collection initiative
THROUGHOUT the year, the team at the Scottish Grocer all hear stories of outstanding displays of kindness in the convenience channel.
Without a doubt, 2024 has been a year of hardship for communities across the country but, time and time again, local stores in all of these areas make the effort to look out for their customers.
And now with Christmas swiftly adding to consumers’ already stretched budgets, it becomes more important than ever to make sure everyone does what they can to help out.
With this in mind, the Scottish Grocer has teamed up with surplus food distribution charity FareShare Scotland once again to launch the Scottish Grocer Christmas Food Collection.
We, alongside FareShare Scotland, are asking businesses and individuals to come together and support this worthy cause and do their part to help ensure no one goes without this Christmas.
Clare O’Keefe, commercial officer for FareShare Scotland, said: “Thanks to the generosity of the Scottish Grocer team and organisations that took part, last year’s campaign was a great success.
“The donations were distributed to charities and community groups across Scotland and provided the equivalent of over 11,000 meals.
“We’re encouraging organisations to get involved again this year, and support people and communities that are struggling during the Christmas period.”
Anyone who wishes to make a donation towards this cause can do so by getting in contact with O’Keefe via her email: clare.okeefe@fareshare.org.uk.
FareShare Scotland continues to play a vital role in the work of the wider FareShare network across the UK and currently redistributes food to over 600 charities and community groups across all of Scotland’s 32 local authority areas.
Last year, the teams managed to redistribute 4,100 tonnes of food – the equivalent of 9.75million meals.
FareShare Scotland’s support is delivered by working with four network partners across different areas in Scotland.
They are Move On for Glasgow and the west of Scotland; Cyrenians for central and south-east Scotland; Transform for Tayside and Fife; and CFINE for Grampian and the Highlands.
And while the organisation is already making a big impact in Scotland, FareShare believes there is still so much more that can be done.
It is estimated that there is up to 200,000 tonnes of food wasted every year and FareShare Scotland aims to stop this by bringing together the food industry with charities who can make use of this good-to-eat food.
Jon Molyneux, external affairs lead for FareShare Scotland, said: “FareShare’s work turns what would otherwise be an environmental problem into something that’s really positive, both for the businesses whose waste we help to cut, as well as for the communities that use our food in amazing ways, to bring folk together and meet their diverse needs.”
