"Sharing is caring" is the mantra this charity – which has its headquarters in Deptford, South East London – lives by. Using a network of volunteers, it redistributes thousands of tons of otherwise wasted food to partner charities in London and beyond.
Who are they?
It's thought that at least 8.4 million people in the UK can't or struggle to afford to eat. To put that into perspective, that's about the same number of people living in the whole of London right now. And yet, every year, 1.9 million tons of food is wasted by the food industry – 270,000 of which is still perfectly edible. Fareshare is the UK's longest-standing food redistribution charity, working to close this gap by redirecting the surplus produce to those who need it most. It was co-founded by homeless charity Crisis and Sainsbury's in 1994 to tackle the food poverty crisis sweeping through the most disadvantaged parts of the city.
Twenty-three years on from where it all began, Fareshare is now an independent social enterprise with 21 regional centres, and counting, located across the country. Last year the network redistributed enough food to make 28.6 million meals across 1,300 towns and cities, with the help of more than 6,723 nationwide charities.
How can I get involved?
Fundraise, volunteer or make a donation at fareshare.org.uk. And if you've got time after that, support its #feedpeoplefirst petition. At the time of writing, the date to sign it will have already passed, but Fareshare is currently lobbying the government to introduce economic incentives to make it cheaper for businesses to donate food to charities.
Find out more about the shortlist and see all the winners at foodism.co.uk/foodism-100
