Ian Hamill from SPAR Mallusk, Bronagh Luke from Henderson Group and Declan McKillop from FareShare Northern Ireland launch SPAR’s One Million Meals project in Northern Ireland
SPAR has partnered with FareShare, the UK’s biggest charity fighting hunger and tackling food waste, to provide the equivalent of one million meals through local charities in cities, towns and villages across the UK as part of the One Million Meals project.
The campaign has now launched in over 300 SPAR NI stores, and will run until 01 November 2023.
FareShare is the UK’s longest running food redistribution charity that believes no good food should go to waste, especially when people are going hungry. According to FareShare, seven million people in the UK are struggling to afford to eat, representing 1 in 10 of the UK population.
In Northern Ireland, FareShare partners with 160 foodbanks and community charities, and SPAR’s project complements the donations that are continuing from 181 SPAR and EUROSPAR stores.
Since the beginning of the year, tens of thousands of products have been donated from stores by staff and shoppers to community foodbanks here in Northern Ireland.
Bronagh Luke, Head of Corporate Marketing at Henderson Group which owns SPAR in Northern Ireland said:
“SPAR’s partnership with FareShare will see £250,000 donated to the organisation, which means that for every £1 given FareShare can redistribute enough food for the equivalent of four meals to people in need across the UK.”
Ian Hamill and Joanne Mulholland at the FareShare drop-off point in-store at SPAR Mallusk.
A study of over 2,000 people commissioned by SPAR to launch the campaign has revealed that 72 per cent of consumers in Northern Ireland hate to see food wasted, with 78 per cent likely to save cooked food to use as leftovers.
When it comes to helping others, Northern Ireland is one of the top regions in the UK, with research also revealing that over half (55 per cent) have donated to foodbanks and charities, with 22 per cent donating more to foodbanks in recent years to help with the cost of living crisis.
The Bradbury Hub Foodbank and Wellness Centre partners with FareShare to provide a range of support to community members in need. Angela Ifonlaja, programme manager at the foodbank, which opened in 2021, said “it is absolutely crucial that we can get food that is stored and delivered safely. We are creating food parcels so users come to our Centre to receive the packs to take home. We will always be here to support those who need us, but we hope those who come in don’t become long-term users.”
Polly Bianchi, director of fundraising at FareShare added:
“The One Million Meals donation from SPAR will make a significant contribution to our work getting good-to-eat food, which might otherwise go to waste, to people who need it.
“As the winter months approach, our network of 8,500 charities across the UK will be working hard to provide hearty, nourishing meals for people in their communities. Each group provides vital wraparound services to support people impacted by the cost of living crisis and the contribution made by SPAR will go a long way to strengthening those communities.”
Bronagh Luke finished: “We believe in supporting the communities we serve, and this partnership means that people won’t have to go without the staples we all use each day.”