Sodexo’s partnership with FareShare hits £1.5m funding milestone

Sodexo and food redistribution charity, Fareshare, is celebrating a milestone with the total financial support donated from the Sodexo Stop Hunger Foundation to FareShare reaching an amazing £1.5 million.

The two organisations have been working together since 2005, with a shared commitment to fighting food insecurity and food waste. Over the duration of its partnership the financial support from Sodexo has helped cover the logistics costs which form a huge part of the charity’s operation, enabling it to increase the volume of surplus food being redistributed across its charity network, helping to redistribute the equivalent of five million meals to those in need.

Volunteering also plays a vital role in the partnership and to mark this special milestone a series of volunteering opportunities were offered to Sodexo employees, clients and suppliers with FareShare and its partners throughout National Volunteering Week. In total 76 volunteers clocked up over 350 hours of volunteering over an eight-day period.

Volunteers spent time at FareShare and its partner’s depots across the UK, from Edinburgh, Newcastle, Liverpool andLeeds in the north, to Birmingham, London and right down to Brighton in the south, with their efforts resulting in the equivalent of 25,754 meals being redistributed to those in need.

Sodexo’s volunteering programme is part of its commitment to fighting food insecurity both in the UK and Ireland as well as across the globe. Every year Sodexo enables its employees to three paid days to participate in volunteering activity with charities such as FareShare. This provides them with the chance to deliver social impact to their local communities as well as providing opportunities for team-building, improved wellbeing, as well as the development of personal and professional skills.

Patrick Forbes, Head of Supply Management at Sodexo UK & Ireland Trustee of the Sodexo Stop Hunger Foundation said: “As a purpose-led business with a large operational footprint we are committed to doing all we can to support and have a positive impact on the communities in which we live and work. Since our partnership with FareShare began back in 2005 we have been proud to have helped it to expand its reach across the UK to more communities in desperate need of help through our financial support, employee volunteering and other initiatives such as providing coaching for their team members to help with their own personal development.”

In 2022-2023 FareShare redistributed 54,000 tonnes of food, equivalent to four meals every second, supporting around 8,500 charities and community projects nationwide. The frontline charities who receive food from FareShare are reporting skyrocketing demand for their services as the cost of living crisis drives millions into food poverty.  These charities use food to help tackle the root causes of poverty, and provide vital services including homelessness shelters, lunch clubs for elderly people suffering with isolation, and support with issues including debt, employment and mental health.

Lindsay Boswell, CEO FareShare said: “We are extremely grateful to everyone at Sodexo for their support in reaching this incredible fundraising milestone and to their staff for giving up their time to volunteer for us at a time when the demand for food has never been higher. The money raised will make a huge difference in getting good-to-eat surplus food to people who need it most and help support the essential work of 8,500 charities across the UK.”