FareShare Cymru was established in 2010 and delivers surplus, good to eat food that might otherwise go to waste to charities and community groups in every corner of Wales. Today FareShare Cymru has distributed tonnes of surplus food to a network of groups and organisations across Wales that provide food and other essential services to people in need. From cookery classes and lunch clubs in community centres, to school breakfast clubs, stocking the shelves of community pantries and providing hearty meals in homelessness shelters, food redistributed by FareShare Cymru is used by charities in a variety of ways. It enables these groups to bring people together and continue offering their essential support services.

One of those groups we support is the Ystradowen Community Centre CGYCC, a centre that works extremely hard to build and maintain a crucial sense of community in the area. The community hub covers 3 counties and caters to everybody from all ages, backgrounds, and abilities.

Emily, a project support officer involved in managing the centre, describes its inclusive nature: “We cover as many areas as we can, we have no boundaries. It’s here for everyone to use, anyone who needs the services. It’s open to anybody and everybody”. Despite the challenges faced by the community centre, they continually strive to provide the local community with services and events that they need.

There’s over 18 clubs and services that are run from the centre including a ‘Ti a Fi’ childcare group, a gardening club, a book club, and a lunch service for senior members of the community. The centre also provides transport for the community including a shuttle bus to and from their clubs, hospital transfers, and trips to various locations across the country; public transport infrastructure is poor in the area, so this part of their service is extremely valuable and helps people get to and from places they might struggle to reach: “We have a minibus and a community car so the centre is accessible to all. We only get 3 or 4 public buses a day.”

Dai, a volunteer for over 10 years, comments on the range of services offered:

“If there’s a gap in community provision, we’ll try our best to fill that gap. If anybody comes up with an idea, it doesn’t matter what it is or where the people are from, we’ll try our best to help.”

Covering numerous local towns and villages, the centre has adapted to rising demand. “There isn’t a centre nearby that does the same as what we do. We do what we can. The demand falls on us, and we try our best. There’s always a need for change.” The services run at the centre are informed by community feedback and a good rapport with those that live in the area. The centre can also be rented by the community to host their own events.

Feeding the Community

The food provided by FareShare Cymru enables the community centre to run its lunch club, offering patrons a three-course meal for just £5. For some, these meals are the only hot meals they will have all week. Beyond just providing food, the meals offer an opportunity for social interaction amongst elderly members of the community:

“The meals provide a big social benefit. They come here for the hot meal but they get to socialise at the same time. It reduces isolation and loneliness. When they have food here, it helps combat poverty because they save on heating and food. It ties in to other issues a lot really.”

Amid the ongoing cost of living crisis, particularly challenging for those on lower incomes or in rural areas, services like the lunch club are invaluable for their wide-ranging benefits.

The food provided by FareShare Cymru also support various events at the centre, from Bingo afternoons to community BBQs. Funds raised by these events are reinvested into the charity, helping sustain the services and events that bring the community together. If you want to find out more about, visit the Ystradowen Community Centre Facebook page.

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The aim of the RKW project is to make use of harder to use surplus ingredients and use them to make nutritious and accessible meals for communities across South Wales. The trial started with 10 of the charities and community groups already supported by FareShare Cymru and has since expanded to support up to 20 local organisations. Since January, 4235 meals have been prepared and distributed by our team of chefs and kitchen volunteers. 

A wide range of food is provided either by FareShare Cymru, other donations, or is grown at the community centre; the centre has an outside garden space, where the community can grow their own fruit, vegetables, and herbs to add to the stock they distribute to those who need it.  

The project has been very popular with the pantry members, having spoken to some of their regular attendees. 

“I picked the meals because they’re really nutritious. They’re really easy, so I can just pop them in the microwave and I can just eat it from the pot. It’s awesome” 

 “I found them handy because I have children. And I’ve found it good because my health is up and down. So I find that when I’m not feeling great or don’t have the energy to cook, I find it good for that”. 

The variety was also highly praised, with favourite dishes including the vegetable curry and pasta bakes. 

The pantry is only a small part of what Hope St Mellons offers for the people in the community. They host many different clubs, such as gardening and craft club, and hold free 1-1 sessions with financial advisors. They also have a bike repair shop that offers drop-in sessions for advice and assistance in repairs, empowering local people to tackle the problem themselves in the future. 

“As a community, we’re growing, we’re thriving. It’s very much what we need in the area.”

The meals provided through the RKW project continue to prove successful amongst those who use the pantry. They look forward to the future of RKW and what the next phase has in store! 

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The RKW Project

Over the last four months, FareShare Cymru have been trialing their Redistribution Kitchen Wales project, where surplus food is being made into nutritionally balanced, affordable meals, and distributed to local community groups. Since starting the trial, 5,160 meals have been prepared and distributed thanks to the dedicated efforts of our team of chefs and kitchen volunteers.

At FareShare Cymru, we redistribute good-to-eat surplus food from the food industry that would otherwise have gone to waste, to 171 charities across Wales who work to tackle the ever-growing presence of poverty. Since last year, we’ve managed to distribute 1039 tonnes of food to communities across the country, enough to make over 2.4 million meals.

The Redistribution Kitchen Wales project started as a way to use and repurpose harder –to-use surplus food so that more people could easily access nutritious meals. Funding for the project was awarded by the Sustainable Food Challenge, a partnership between Cardiff Council, Monmouthshire County Council, the Cardiff Capital Region Challenge Fund, and Welsh Government, supported by the SBRI (Small Business Research Initiative) Centre of Excellence. It aims to identify and support projects that can harness the potential of land, technology, and people to increase the sustainable production and supply of locally grown food in the Cardiff Capital Region.

Partnerships

The RKW project has been made possible through the generous support of Cardiff and Vale College, which has provided us with access to the kitchen facilities at their City Centre campus. Anthony Ruston, Head of Department – Catering and Retail Operations at CAVC, said:

“It has been a privilege to be able to work with FareShare Cymru on this project. The work they do distributing food to those that need it the most in our communities is great, and it has been good to be able to play a small part in that journey.

It has been great to see the trial go from strength to strength, and I have loved seeing food leave our kitchen to go on to local projects and charities. Food insecurity affects educational outcomes, so by playing a part of improving this in the communities we serve, we are supporting to improve this.”

Collaboration with local organisations has been key to the project’s success. By working with Cardiff and Vale Public Health Dietetic Team, we’ve been able to ensure that all meals distributed contain at least two of the five recommended daily servings of fruit and vegetables. Castell Howell, a leading food wholesaler based in West Wales, have kindly donated necessary ingredients to accompany the surplus ingredients donated to FareShare Cymru. Edward Morgan, Group CSR and Training Manager, from Castell Howell emphasised the importance of the project, stating:

“Castell Howell recognise the urgency to provide healthy, nutritious meals to communities across Wales. This project is an exciting new concept to help deliver this goal, adding value to surplus food and promoting the benefits of kitchen prepared food and varied diets. We look forward to seeing this project evolve and are grateful of the opportunity to support its development.”

At the end of May, the initial RKW trial will come to an end and FareShare Cymru will begin to look at making the Redistribution Kitchen Wales an ongoing project. In order to do so, we need to be able to access more surplus food and have access to a professional kitchen space in the Cardiff and Vale region.

Cllr Geraint Thomas, Leader of Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council, chairs the Challenge Fund’s strategy board and he has commented:

“We are delighted to support FareShare Cymru’s innovative project tackling food industry waste, at a time where so many are struggling with rising costs and food poverty. The Redistribution Kitchen Waste Project shows what is possible at a local community level, when innovative ideas are embraced and delivered by people who want to make a difference.”

For media inquiries, please contact:
Hannah Thomas
Marketing and Communications Lead
Hannah@fareshare.cymru

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About Tasty not Wasty 

Tasty not Wasty is based in the Llanyrafon Methodist Church, running sessions Tuesday-Saturday that revolve around sustainability, wellbeing and most importantly…food! This organisation started in response to the covid-19 pandemic, 2020, officially becoming branded as ‘Tasty not Wasty’ September 2020. Sabrina Cresswell originally set up in response to waste and other various environmental issues, such of the waste of surplus food. However, as the project gained more attraction, the attention turned to helping members of the community, as there was an obvious need for it. 

Tasty not Wasty not only cook and serve their own meals, using surplus produce supplied by FareShare Cymru, but also freeze and distribute said meals to a diverse sector of the community. The prices are exceptionally affordable and defrosting and reheating instructions are made clear on the frozen meals, making it convenient and cost-effective way to access good, nutritional food.  

Meals include products that people wouldn’t typically buy or have access to, with recipes and meals made that are not only nutritious but also different to the everyday. For example, meals such as ratatouille, sweet and sour pork and many more have proven to be highly popular in the past.  

So much more than food… 

Arguably, projects like this are built around food but become so much more than that. Services like these have been shown to make people feel less lonely, for some it being the only time during the week that they have human contact. Tasty not Wasty not only act as a food service but also work closely with community connectors to provide alternative services. These include bingo, wellbeing sessions every Thursday, drop in’s from Welsh Water and Building Resolute Communities who offer help with bills and financial advice. 

How do projects like this help the environment? 

Originally, Tasty not Wasty was started to tackle the issue of surplus food and food waste, having evolved in response to demand. Meals are cooked on one premises, helping save electricity for individual households, with portions made to size, to ensure no food goes to waste. Meals are then frozen to extend expiry dates, again reducing the potential for waste. The portions also encourage independence for those who use Tasty not Wasty, allowing them choice of what to purchase, whilst also ensuring they get the correct portion of nutrients. We spoke to two regular service users who expressed the ease of the frozen meals, “the meal is already cooked…what an advantage that is”, especially when someone lives alone.  

The overall impact on household bills is significant in reducing fees, which is a huge benefit, whilst also having a positive impact on the environment, with electricity use reduced. By cooking in batches and splitting them allows costs to be kept to a minimum, regarding both electricity and food prices. Tasty not Wasty also make use of a local Zero waste shop, alongside FareShare Cymru, minimising waste of packaging and keeping the general environmental impact as low as possible. 

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These groups recognize that to build thriving communities, it’s vital to address interconnected issues that influence people’s well-being. They believe that only through a comprehensive support system can lasting and sustainable change be achieved.

Swansea Community Farm is Wales’ only city farm. Spread over 3.5 acres near the city centre, it features gardens, allotments, orchards, and farm animals, all dedicated to promoting education about sustainability and wellbeing. It’s a vibrant urban oasis inspiring eco-conscious practices and fostering environmental stewardship among its volunteers and visitors.

Empowering Volunteers

One of the defining characteristics of Swansea Community Farm is that it’s open to all. Cerys, who works at the farm, explains:

“We’re a community volunteer project with Volunteers ranging from 8 to 88 and they come and run the farm for us, everything you see here was built by volunteers. We’re set in a deprived area of Swansea and we have lots of local volunteers as well as volunteers from all over the city. They come here to better their mental health and wellbeing”.

Promoting Outdoor Play and Nature

Recognizing the importance of outdoor play, mess, and connection with nature, the farm runs engaging play schemes for children during school holidays. These schemes cater to age groups from 0 to 18 and offer a mix of messy play, campfires, and arts and crafts. By providing these activities free of charge for participants and only requesting a small donation, the farm ensures that every child, regardless of their background, can experience the joys of nature and creative expression.

The messy play area features an impressive ‘Forest Den’ built by the children who use the farm. Along the frame, the names of all the children who helped are inscribed in the wood as a testament to their hard work.

Combating Food Insecurity with Fareshare

Using food from FareShare Cymru,the farm actively addresses food insecurity among the community. The community pantry, which is open for all to access, enables parents to discreetly access essential resources without any judgment or questions. Through Fareshare’s support, the farm distributes free packed lunches for children, serving up to 250 lunches over the summer. This initiative brings relief to parents and eases their burden, knowing that their children’s nutritional needs are taken care of for one day a week.

A Holistic Approach to Well-being

The collaboration with Fareshare not only addresses immediate food needs but also plays a crucial role in the farm’s broader mission of fostering overall well-being. Volunteers and users alike can access the community pantry, ensuring they have access to nourishing food. By offering this holistic approach, the farm supports its volunteers in improving their health and increasing their chances of finding employment, boosting their overall quality of life.

By addressing food insecurity while promoting individual development and community bonding, Swansea Community Farm exemplifies the essence of communal strength and resilience. Its model serves as an inspiration for other communities to come together, uplift one another, and build a brighter future.

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Cwmaman Primary in the Cynon Valley in South Wales run a Big Bocs Bwyd project to provide access to food and essential items to members of the local community in Cwmaman. The project is run by school staff members and community volunteers, and they receive a proportion of the food that is available from FareShare Cymru. Rachel Bryant, who is one of the leads on the scheme, said:

We’re delighted that we receive such high-quality fresh produce, snacks, staples and treats from FareShare Cymru. We simply wouldn’t be able to source such quality items without being involved with them.

Rachel Bryant – Cwmaman Primary

Officially opening its doors in May of 2022, the Big Bocs Bwyd facility has become a lifeline for so many people in the local area who are feeling the effects of inflation on their pockets. Sarah Howells, another lead at the Project said:

People who access the Bocs are always thrilled to be able to use the ingredients on offer to make delicious meals, and help soften the blow of the cost of living crisis. Every time we open the Bocs, there’s always a queue of people ready to pick up food and other essential items.

Sarah Howells – Cwmaman Primary

The project has gone from strength to strength, and has expanded to do more to provide a hub for the community. Rachel, Sarah and the team have run events like a chippy dinner, for local people – where possible using items they’ve sourced for the Bocs. Rachel said:

Food is a key part, but it’s just one part of what we do. Our project aims to foster a sense of community in challenging times, providing a touchpoint for everyone in the local area.  The food we receive from FareShare Cymru is vital in doing that.

Rachel Bryant – Cwmaman Primary

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After the success of the initial funding, FareShare Cymru has received a second round of funding from Welsh Government, to do a tremendous amount of good for a tremendous number of people across Wales.

In an increasingly uncertain world, the opportunity to give surplus food to charity has never been more important. The Surplus with Purpose initiative is easy to administer and the FareShare team are also a pleasure to work with.

Matthew Thomas, National Account Manager – Puffin Produce

At FareShare Cymru, we fully recognize that firms could experience losses when looking to donate their surplus to us, and the fund’s aim is to clear these barriers. For example, a farmer or grower of fresh produce could incur costs from harvesting crops that are surplus to their commercial requirements – the Surplus with Purpose Cymru fund can cover these costs entirely by covering the costs of additional labour.

A manufacturer of food could incur costs from breaking down catering-sized volumes of food, or labelling unlabeled products to make them donation and distribution-ready for FareShare Cymru – the Surplus with Purpose Cymru fund can cover these costs, including labour and packaging.

Food packaging facilities or distribution centres could have short-life, end-of-promotion or seasonal stock that they want to donate to a good cause, but would incur costs from transporting this to FareShare Cymru – the Surplus with Purpose Cymru fund can cover these, and pay for the costs of transporting them.

A business that wants to be waste-free could currently be sending their surplus food to an outlet like anaerobic digestion or to the production of animal feed. Such firms could find diverting it to FareShare Cymru could represent a loss of income for the business during a cost-critical period for the sector – the Surplus with Purpose Cymru fund can cover these costs entirely, and cover any loss of income incurred by the business.

FareShare Cymru wants food businesses in Wales to be empowered to do the right thing with food that is still perfectly edible, but is no longer commercially viable. We would welcome a discussion with any food or drink business that wants to explore turning an environmental problem into a social solution for vulnerable communities across Wales.

For more information, please contact swp@fareshare.cymru, or call 07773618174/02920 632111 today

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They aim to be genuinely sustainable in every aspect of their business, with an innovative plastic-free food packaging system, a kitchen that keeps food waste to an absolute minimum by creating dishes using surplus vegetables, and staff who are all paid at least the London Living Wage (even though they are not in London). When they found they had surplus food that had been accrued from product development and seasonal gluts, they were committed to seeing how it could be put to good use and help people, rather than being wasted.

Having reached out to FareShare nationally, they were put in touch with the team in Cardiff as we have freezer capacity to safely store the surplus food they have available. We at FareShare Cymru are delighted that Dovebrook have so far donated over 100 kg of high-quality frozen meals for us to distribute to our charities and community groups.

Eleanor Weil co-founder of Dovebrook Kitchen, said:

We are delighted to be working with such a great charity network! I first discovered FareShare a few years ago when I volunteered at one of their central London hubs. The process was so streamlined and well thought out and it was a joy to drive around London distributing great food to so many diverse places that all greatly appreciated the donations. We deplore food waste and work hard to try and minimize it wherever we can which is why we are so pleased we are able to offer something of real value to people who need it the most.

Eleanor Weil, Co-Founder, Dovebrook Kitchen

FareShare Cymru is always delighted to work with food businesses that want to turn an environmental problem into a social solution. Simon Stranks, Food Sourcing Co-Ordinator for FareShare Cymru, said:

We’re ecstatic to work with Dovebrook Kitchen in helping to tackle food waste and fight hunger. It’s always great to be able to work with food and drink businesses that recognize that edible food is always better off going to people. We offer our sincere thanks to Dovebrook Kitchen, and look forward to being able to help them in the future in cutting their food waste levels to meet their Zero Waste commitments.

Simon Stranks, Food Sourcing Co-ordinator, FareShare Cymru

If you would like to discuss how FareShare Cymru can help your business to cut your food waste levels, reduce your emissions and fight hunger amongst vulnerable people, please contact food@fareshare.cymru

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Lewis Pies is a family-owned company that has been making pastries, breads and cakes since 1936, and have continued to grow and adapt the business to meet the demands of its customers. The business has transformed from a small bakery to a manufacturing site with a BRC Grade A; and this evolution has seen them introduce a range of new products to suit the needs of every customer. Lewis Pies are inextricably linked with their Welsh identity, and are seen as an integral part of their local community in Swansea and beyond. This is reflected in their partnerships with local Welsh businesses with whom they collaborate regularly, and in their commitment to using local ingredients wherever possible in their production process.

As the manufacturer of their own products, Lewis Pies found that they had items they had manufactured that were slightly too big to fit into the packaging of their client. Having been contacted by FareShare Cymru, they were keen to explore how we could prevent these items from going to waste, and instead divert them to vulnerable people through our network. On speaking of the decision to donate these surplus items to FareShare Cymru Wilfred Lewis, Managing Director of Lewis Pies, said

FareShare Cymru and the work they do is more important now, than ever. As a food manufacturer we have always been conscious about our food waste and the impact it has on the planet and how this could be better utilised. Working with FareShare Cymru gives us the opportunity to easily donate our surplus stock knowing that it will benefit those in need. We make a fantastic product and knowing it goes to a new home gives us a lot of satisfaction. Logistically FareShare are perfect to work with, they work around our needs and will go above and beyond to collect around our schedule. We look forward to working with FareShare and to continue supporting our local communities

Wilfred Lewis, Managing Director – Lewis Pies

Simon Stranks, Food Sourcing Coordinator for FareShare Cymru said:

“We’re absolutely thrilled to be able to work with an established Welsh brand like Lewis Pies. We are always encouraged when leaders in the food and drink industry in Wales share our view that food that is still perfectly edible is better off going to people – so Lewis Pies are the perfect fit for us. The chicken tikka pasties they’ve donated to us were incredibly well received by our members who have fed back how delicious they found them. We look forward to growing and developing our relationship with Lewis Pies to act as the ‘go to’ outlet for surplus items that may arise in the future.”

Simon Stranks, Food Sourcing Coordinator – FareShare Cymru

If your food business would like to discuss donating your surplus food to FareShare Cymru, get in touch today on food@fareshare.cymru

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A luxury item for many, OV Group’s donation of chocolate eggs meant that our members were able to enjoy a treat over the Bank Holiday weekend, which they may not have had without this donation.

Speaking about their decision to donate, Cherry Blumberg – Managing Director OV Group said:

The chocolate Easter Eggs are produced at our St Ives site, OV County’s, where this year the amazing team have produced over 1.1 million eggs!!! At OV we believe in our values, and “We Care” is one of our four principles values which guide us in our business. When we saw an opportunity to support our communities at Easter, through this donation to FareShare, we knew it was absolutely the right thing to do. If 10,000 Easter Eggs can bring 10,000 treats, and maybe a little cheer (10,000 smiles), to those who are struggling, especially as this really challenging time, this makes OV enormously proud.

Cherry Blumberg – Managing Director, OV Group

Thanking OV Group for the donation, Simon Stranks – Food Sourcing Coordinator for FareShare Cymru said:

FareShare Cymru is incredibly grateful whenever a food industry partner steps-up and makes sure surplus food goes to people wherever possible. We know that items like Easter eggs are a luxury that some of our members wouldn’t be able to afford, so we know this donation was able to put a smile on so many people’s faces. These Easter eggs were distributed amongst our community group and charity members, so we thank OV Group for going above and beyond by donating a massive quantity of high-quality chocolate eggs.

Simon Stranks – Food Sourcing Coordinator, FareShare Cymru

If your business agrees that surplus food is better off going to people rather than to waste, and would like to donate any surplus to FareShare Cymru, please contact Simon@fareshare.cymru

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