Welsh Environment Minister John Griffiths officially opens FareShare Cymru Cardiff depot (25.01.12)

The Environment Minister, John Griffiths, officially opened the depot today. He then assisted FareShare Cymru volunteers in packing food items for distribution to charities and homeless centres in Cardiff and Newport.

 

Cylch, the Wales Community Recycling Network, carried out feasibility studies and business planning which led to FareShare Cymru beginning operations in July 2011.

 

 

'Cylch are delighted that we've finally brought FareShare to South Wales after a lot of hard work by volunteers and staff alike. Now we need to buiild the supply and customer base so we can help more people who suffer food poverty. This is a fantastic and much needed project'

 

FareShare Cymru diverts edible surplus food currently treated as waste by the food manufacturing and retail industries, redistributing it to charities and community organisations. FareShare Cymru were able to open the depot thanks to grant support from the Welsh Government.

 

 

‘Food waste and food poverty are serious problems across Wales. The Welsh Government’s Towards Zero Waste ambition is for Wales to recycle 70 per cent of its waste by 2025 and to be a zero waste nation by 2050. 

 

‘I am delighted to support the work of organisations like FareShare Cymru who work to tackle these issues, and make such valuable use of food that would otherwise go to waste.’

 

Guests from the food industry and the charity sector were invited to the opening, to see how FareShare Cymru is tackling the two major issues of food waste and food poverty, and explore ways of working together. 

 

Representatives from national prepared food manufacturer Tillery Valley, one of FareShare Cymru’s major suppliers, are also attending. Tillery Valley have provided chilled and frozen ‘overs’ to the charity’s national programme for over two years, and was one of the first companies in Wales to support the Cardiff depot. 

 

To date, Tillery Valley’s donations have contributed to 21,905 meals for disadvantaged and vulnerable people. They also provide FareShare Cymru with financial support, donating £5 alongside every pallet they supply. This has provided essential support and training for FareShare volunteers throughout the UK.

 

 

‘Ensuring our surplus meals go to a worthy cause is of great importance, not just to Tillery Valley’s own sustainability, but to the local and vulnerable community too. Our longstanding relationship with FareShare has been hugely successful, and is something we fully intend to develop in the future.

We were lucky enough to see the impact of our donations on the local community first hand when staff members volunteered here over Christmas, and it’s fantastic to return to the Cardiff depot for its official opening.’

 

 

FareShare is the national charity working to relieve food poverty by redistributing quality surplus food from the food industry to a network of over 700 community organisations that support homeless and other vulnerable people. The charity also provides training and education around the essential life skills of safe food preparation and nutrition, and warehouse employability training through FareShare’s Eat Well Live Well programme.

 

Last year, the food redistributed by the charity contributed towards 8.6 million meals for vulnerable people.  The charity runs 17 operations across the country and every day 35,500 people benefit from the FareShare service. FareShare is a winner of ‘Britain’s Most Admired Charity’ (2010) awarded by the third sector. 

 

FareShare Cymru has been established with Cylch to bring the FareShare idea to Wales. Two FareShare Cymru depots now operate in Wales, one in Cardiff and one in Llandudno Junction