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SummerFareShare 2019 Slices1 A healthy slice of FareShare volunteer news Volunteer Awards special edition Autumn 2019 w Hello...2 FareShare Slices Summer 2019 3 Welcome to the Autumn edition of FareShare Slices. This issue is all about celebration. Not only are we celebrating FareShare’s 25th anniversary, we’re also celebrating the amazing contribution volunteers make every day, with a special focus In this on those who were recognised at FareShare’s inaugural Annual Volunteer Awards this September (pg 6). issue Thanks to our volunteers, this summer we Hannah Feld redistributed enough food to create over 670,000 Network news meals to children at risk of going hungry over the What’s been happening holidays. We catch up with Croydon’s Addiscombe nationally and in the regions 4 Boys and Girls Club to find out how FareShare food makes all the difference (pg 14). A day of This is your magazine, so if you’d like to see celebration more stories about events or volunteers from FareShare’s first ever annual 6 your Regional Centre please do get in Volunteer Awards touch. Fuelling the fun Hannah Feld The Croydon scheme tackling Volunteering Development Officer holiday hunger14 [email protected] 020 7394 2462 Fun and games Puzzles for your tea break15 Two minutes with… We meet Chris from Here’s a scary statistic… FareShare Kent16 It’s estimated the UK throws away eight million pumpkins every Halloween. Last year FareShare redistributed almost 1,000 delicious pumpkins to charities across the UK. Mmm! This magazine is printed on 100% recycled paper 4 FareShare Slices Autumn 2019 5 Volunteers needed Even more awards... for Food It’s been a record- Elizabeth Lauder, to help feed people in breaking year for Volunteer & Employability need.” Collection award nominations and Programmes Manager, wins for our Regional Congratulations, too, to FareShare are Centres. Firstly, a big FareShare Yorkshire who seeking thousands congrats to FareShare were recently presented of volunteers to Manchester for scooping a Highly Commended take part in the the Volunteering Team Volunteer Team Award annual Tesco Food gong at October’s Spirit at the Community Collection, which of Manchester awards. Champion Awards, takes place in Tesco The competition was sponsored by BBC Radio stores across the Marking big milestones tough but the judges Sheffield. country from 21-23 FareShare Thames Valley opened in Milton Keynes, were impressed by how said: “To be voted as November. You can and partner charity in partnership with SOFEA. the team had shown winners of the award by Finally well done sign up for a three SOFEA celebrated innovation, whilst the wider voluntary and FareShare Hull who were hour shift, either on their 5th birthday in Meanwhile, in Edinburgh, also having a huge community sector comes also nominated for the your own or with September by inviting we celebrated 20 years impact on both the as a testament to all that Volunteer Team of the friends, family or BBC TV and radio of the Cyrenians running organisation and their the entire FareShare Year at the city’s Smile colleagues, here: reporters to visit their FareShare Central local community. Greater Manchester Foundation awards on 16 fareshare.org.uk/ Didcot base - an occasion Scotland. “The team volunteer team have done October. Amazing! tescofoodcollection later featured on BBC have done an amazing Radio Oxford and BBC job supporting 140 South Today. There was charities and moving Happy Birthday FareShare! more cake eating and more and more food,” ribbon cutting a month said FareShare Head of This year, FareShare celebrates its of the food industry and of course later when FareShare Network Partnerships Kris 25th anniversary. When FareShare the invaluable contribution of South Midlands officially Gibbon Walsh. was established in 1994, its our volunteers we’ll be able to organisers couldn’t have known dramatically increase the amount they were about to create the UK’s of food we deliver to frontline longest-running food redistribution charities.” Volunteering at FareShare Grampian hits new heights charity. In 2018 we saved 20,838 Congratulations to deserved recognition for Simmers at the recent tonnes of good food from waste, FareShare Grampian/ the hard work volunteers award ceremony which enough to make 46.5 million meals CFINE for scooping have been doing to was attended by the Lord for vulnerable people. a Queen’s Award for alleviate food poverty in Provost of Aberdeen, Voluntary Service, north east Scotland. Barney Crockett. FareShare CEO, Lindsay Boswell, which is granted to said: “These are exciting times exceptional volunteer “We now have 35 “Their contribution is for FareShare. Right now we’re groups in the UK who staff but CFINE simply exceptional and, I think, only accessing 8% of the total are making a positive wouldn’t work without second to none in any available surplus food, and we’re impact on the lives of the volunteers,” said organisation.” confident that, with the support The original FareShare Logo and first van fleet their communities. It was CFINE’s CEO Dave 6 FareShare Slices Autumn 2019 7 A day of celebration In September, FareShare Slices headed to the first ever FareShare Volunteer Awards – a lunchtime ceremony held at Birmingham’s Hyatt Regency Hotel. Move over Baftas… this of drug addiction. When Commended Warehouse was a chance for us to Ann was diagnosed with Assistant – eagerly celebrate the invaluable neck cancer in March this accepted early retirement contribution of our year, she went straight 18 months ago, but volunteers – some of the back to work after three began to regret her 1,300 people who helped months of intensive radio decision within a matter us collect, sort, pack and and chemotherapy… of weeks. “I thought, deliver 21,000 tonnes of yet still seemed amazed ‘What am I going to do food to almost 11,000 when she was voted now?’” Lindsay admits. charities and community winner of the Office “Being at home all day groups in the last year. Volunteer category. after all those years in a corporate environment So how were the winners “Considering the amount was quite a difficult chosen? The answer is, of volunteers FareShare change. I wanted to with great difficulty. For have it was UK a great do something positive starters, the judges had surprise,” says Ann rather than fritter my to sift through over 100 modestly. “I feel quite time away, something high-quality entries from emotional about it and that would make a our Regional Centres... it’s really nice to meet difference.” and inevitably, many people from other deserving volunteers Regional Centres.” So back to the ceremony: lost out. But without After a welcoming doubt all the winners This was a sentiment speech by CEO Lindsay (and recipients of the repeated time and time Boswell, FareShare’s Highly Commended again at the awards, but Commercial Director awards) stood out the other message which Alyson Walsh invited the for their exceptional came through strongly winners to the stage to contributions. was that volunteering collect their awards. was a way of ‘giving People like Ann Adams something back.’ who started volunteering with FareShare Glasgow’s After 38 years of working admin team early 2018, in a bank, Lindsay having successfully Dunmore – FareShare recovered from 25 years East Midland’s Highly Opening remarks from Lindsay Boswell, FareShare's CEO. 8 FareShare Slices Autumn 2019 9 Darrin Hobbs and Syd Davidson with Alyson Walsh (Commercial Director) Representatives from the FareShare Lancashire and Cumbria Team, with Alyson Walsh Markus Graves Lindsay Dunmore John Williams, with Volunteer Manager, Siobhan Rocks Alyson Walsh with Volunteer Manager Yvonne Foody Volunteer Managers Madison Hartwright and Jonathan Williams Alyson Walsh and Lee Hall FareShare Greater Manchester’s winners David Elms FareShare South West representatives: Michael Pearce, Peter Clarke Ann Adams and Karin Frood and Matt Merrett 10 FareShare Slices Autumn 2019 11 First up was Driver’s recognised on the day, make and deliver food a chance for some The ceremony’s final the organisation would Assistant of the Year it was whole teams too. parcels to Cumbrian to reflect on how far award, the Asda Fight grow. – John Williams from FareShare Kent were flood victims. Project they’d progressed since Hunger Create Change Northern Ireland – closely Highly Commended for Manager Jeff Green signing up to become a Award was presented to “Just trying to get my followed by Highly their inspiring work proudly described them volunteer. head around this is Commended Drivers Syd with offenders at HMP as “an over-performing “Just trying to get my astonishing,” says Davidson (Grampian) Standford Hill, via the football team. We’re not Matt Merrett from Markus. “When I first and Darrin Hobbs Working Out Scheme. a team of stars but we’re FareShare South head around this is started there were just (Sussex), then Fundraiser a team – more Burnley West, winner of this astonishing,” eight staff, the rest Karin Frood from than Manchester Utd. year’s Warehouse were volunteers. Now Manchester, who’s “It’s amazing what you We do twice as much Assistant award, is a someone who embodies you go into the offices so far raised can achieve one day a for half the price!” shining example of the spirit of the at FareShare London and almost £400,000 this. Before Matt began organisation – Markus there are over 40 staff during a decade of week over 10 years!” The highlight of the volunteering at the end Graves. Markus helped working on different volunteering. “It’s day for most was of last year he was street to establish FareShare’s projects to expand it, amazing what you can The main team award, having the chance to homeless, having fought first London depot in and make it bigger and achieve one day a week however, went to meet other volunteers a long battle with drug 2004, and he’s still an better.