Farming: Call to aid FareShare food charity

All involved in Scotland’s food supply chain are urged to pass on any surplus good-to-eat product to the FareShare charity to help those facing hunger.

The call came after a team from Scotland’s leading rural insurers dedicated three days to volunteering with the FareShare charity, helping to organise, pack and distribute food to get it to those who need it most.

Across the three days, 14 NFU Mutual staff members gave their time to the charity network aimed at relieving food poverty and reducing food waste in the UK, helping to load food onto FareShare vans and delivering the consignments to Fareshare’s partner charities across Glasgow and the West of Scotland.

The insurer has also donated £150,000 to FareShare since 2021 and urged businesses from across the food supply chain to donate any good-to-eat surplus to the food redistribution charity.

“It’s great to be able to continue NFU Mutual’s UK-wide support for FareShare on our local patch,” said Mark McBrearty, Scotland regional manager and one of the volunteers.

“The charity makes a huge difference in our community. As living costs rise and households across the nation face tough financial choices, the availability of food support is likely to become increasingly important. The team was proud to contribute to the valuable service FareShare provides,” he said.

John Connell, volunteering manager from FareShare Glasgow, welcomed the call for additional supplies as well as the support from corporate volunteering, which are proving increasingly essential in the battle to tackle food poverty and insecurity.