The UK is in dire economic straits and this winter is shaping up to be bleak for people across the country. Millions more people are being pushed into positions where they can’t afford the essentials to live a dignified life and are turning to the charity sector for help.
FareShare is the UK’s largest food redistribution charity and delivers surplus food to 9,500 smaller charities and community organisations across the country that support over 1 million people. When demand on the charity sector increases, we see it everywhere. We have recently launched our Cost of Living Crisis Appeal in response to the skyrocketing demand for food.
We supply food banks and pantries, hostels, refuges, community centres, older people’s lunch clubs, school clubs and hospices – the vast majority of whom are telling us that they are under increased strain.
FareShare recently conducted a survey of these charities and found that 90% of the organisations have seen an increase in demand, with 73% saying that they are seeing people access food support for the first time and 51% saying that is despite being fully employed.
In the run-up to Christmas, 93% of charities anticipate a further increase in demand, with 89% saying they are worried about meeting the rise in requests.
Our Cost of Living Appeal aims to get these charities what they need; more food. The appeal has three main audiences; the government, the food industry and the public.
Members of the public can support the appeal by donating here: FareShare Cost of Living Crisis Appeal - FareShare
FareShare is seeking £25 million a year in government support that would result in 100 million meals going to people worst affected by the cost-of-living crisis. This money would be used to neutralise the cost for small scale farmers and growers to get their surplus food to charities.
Similar funding was axed in 2019, and despite consistent calls for it to be reinstated, widespread support in Parliament, and warm words from the government, they have yet to recommit.
We developed a single step advocacy tool on the FareShare website, with which supporters can write to their MP to ask them to support the appeal. You can do so by clicking here. FareShare exhibited at party conferences and has undergone a phone canvassing operation to garner support for the ask across Parliament. These efforts have resulted in 57 MPs publicly backing FareShare’s calls for funding in a letter to the Prime Minister. Our public affairs team continues to ask for support with relevant people throughout government.
I have written to the Chief Executives of all major food retailers, brands and umbrella bodies, to urge them to ‘double down’ on their efforts to get surplus food and funds to us.
The letter has already resulted in increased donations from existing partners, and partners who had lapsed getting back in touch with offers of help.
A financial ask has gone out to the general public as we launched our fundraising appeal. The importance of tapping into public support, during the cost of living crisis, is crucial in our plans to broaden our supporter base and continue developing into a more sustainable organisation in the long-term.
A multi-channel acquisition campaign to gain new supporters is underway, focused on two core messages, the current challenges faced by families trying to feed their children and the shocking amount of food that goes to waste whilst people go hungry. The first phase of the campaign is reaching audiences via digital channels and through press ads. The next phase, which will launch in November, targets a wider audience through DRTV campaigns, door drops, direct mail and inserts.
The appeal has seen a strong response from the public so far. Their reaction is both frustrated and generous, frustrated as they express again and again, that food is a basic human right and there should not be such a need in communities. Generosity is also at the forefront with supporters sharing past food poverty experiences, of a family member or neighbour, alongside a strong desire to do something to help others in these challenging times.
For many, the cost of living crisis is a bigger financial emergency than Covid. Those involved in food provision in the charity sector need support from government, the food industry, and the public. The food industry and the public have been very forthcoming in responding to our campaign. The government have given us warm words, but those words have not yet translated to financial support.
We will continue to campaign to make sure that food gets to the people who need it at this time of crisis.
You can donate to FareShare’s appeal here: FareShare Cost of Living Crisis Appeal - FareShare