By Anne Akers
A Yorkshire charity which is given surplus food from supermarkets has appealed to West
Leeds organisations to help distribute it to those in need.
FairShare Yorkshire, which has a warehouse in Holbeck, already sends food to six
Community Food Members (CFMs) in West Leeds. but there is so much surplus food, they
need to find more organisations to take it, says Operations Manager Matt Denison.
The warehouse receives pallets of fresh vegetables, fruit, meat, bread and dairy, ready
meals, canned and dried food from supermarkets including Marks and Spencer, Asda and
Tesco.
“All the food is unspoiled and in-date, it’s just surplus to their requirements. And because it’s so fresh, we need to redistribute it reasonably quickly,” he said.
Volunteers help unpack and sort the food which is then boxed up for CFMs who pay £45 a
week for about 125kg of food with a retail value of more than £400. Armley Action, Bramley Care Bears, Kirkstall Valley Development Trust, Pudsey Community Project, New Wortley Community Centre and Horsforth Community Pantry use the food for their food banks and community cafes.
Matt said they were looking for organisations and local groups who could be CFMs, taking
and redistribute the food, or preparing and serving it in community cafes and soup kitchens.
He said they did not need to be a registered charity, but would need to show they could take and deal with the food.
If you are part of an organisation or local group who would be interested in becoming a CFM, or if you would like to volunteer either in the warehouse or driving the delivery van, you can register via the website, call 01226 593778 or e-mail enquiries@fareshareyorkshire.org.
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