A group of Nestlé employees have taken time away from their day job to help out at FareShare, a charitable organisation that distributes surplus food to people in need.
The team of four spent the day at FareShare’s Yorkshire depot in Barnsley, sorting and packing food donations to get them ready for distribution to charities and community groups in the Sheffield area.
One of the volunteers, Catherine Anderson, Customer Business Executive, Nestlé UK and Ireland, said: “The day was a real eye-opener and a great opportunity to meet some of the volunteers at FareShare, as well as the people the scheme supports. I was personally shocked at the wide range of groups that benefit from FareShare’s work – we went to a children’s nursery, a homeless hostel, women’s refuge and a rehabilitation centre.”
Another volunteer, Matt Mullen, Customer Business Manager, Nestlé UK and Ireland, added: “FareShare provides a fantastic opportunity for the food industry to give back to the community and tackle the problem of waste. After my experience I would highly recommend everyone takes time out of work to volunteer and help make a difference.”
Gareth Batty, Chief Executive Officer, FareShare Yorkshire, said: “It was amazing to have a team from Nestlé volunteer for the day with us. We really appreciate the support of Nestlé and how they are finding ways to identify surplus food which we receive and can be redistributed to our many community groups across Yorkshire. We look forward to working with Nestle in more innovative ways in the future.”
Last year, Nestlé teamed up with Tesco to volunteer for Fareshare and more than thirty Nestlé and Tesco employees got involved in neighbourhood food collection and helping with sorting, packing and deliveries. In addition, one Nestlé employee visits FareShare every Wednesday to help out with their daily operations.
Nestlé began working with FareShare in 2005 as part of an ambition to raise greater awareness of food waste and reduce food waste along its product value chain. The partnership forms part of Nestlé’s commitment, through Nestlé in Society, to reduce the environmental impact caused by waste.
Last year alone Nestlé donated 185 tonnes of fit-for-consumption food to FareShare, contributing towards 440,485 meals for vulnerable and disadvantaged people.
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For more information, please contact Nestlé Press Office on 020 8667 6005 [email protected]