Rise in cost of living tackled in Llanelli thanks to expansion of food redistribution charity 

The deliveries we receive from FareShare Cymru… provide families across West Wales with weekly access to fresh and healthy food that doesn’t break the bank.’ Foothold Cymru. 

Foothold Cymru is just one of the groups who will benefit from good quality surplus food when FareShare Cymru launches in Llanelli next week.  

For over 10 years, FareShare Cymru has been supporting hundreds of community food projects such as homeless hostels, school breakfast clubs, domestic violence refuges and older people’s lunch clubs. The charity rescues surplus food from manufacturers and redistributes it to charities and community groups across Wales. 

Due to research that highlighted almost 300 community projects potentially needed food support in West Wales, the charity is now expanding from its base in Cardiff; beginning in Llanelli in March, Carmarthen in early summer 2022 and Pembrokeshire in early 2023. 

In Wales around 400,000 tonnes of food is wasted each year. If only 1% of that is edible, it is enough to contribute to over 9 million meals. This is at a time when almost a quarter of the Welsh population is living in poverty. 

The first delivery to Llanelli will take place next week. 550kg of food will be delivered to six community food projects who will then use the food for activities such as community cafes, older people’s lunch clubs and primary school meals. These projects offer a service that tackles the causes of food poverty such as isolation, financial difficulties or lack of skills. 

Heather Thomas from FareShare Cymru says…  

It’s really exciting to offer our service in Carmarthenshire and, later, further into west Wales. The last two years have highlighted the importance of community, and the current increases in the cost of living make it clear that, unfortunately, more individuals will need support. We hope that offering our service in Carmarthenshire means fewer people in Wales will face food poverty. 

As well as tackling food poverty, FareShare Cymru saved the equivalent of 2270 tonnes of CO2 in 2020/21. It has been estimated that if food waste was a country, it would be the third-highest emitter of greenhouse gases after the US and China, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations. 

FareShare Cymru can provide photos and interview opportunities in the future. Please find contact details below.  

For more information or interviews contact: 

Marcomms@fareshare.cymru / 07929 751946 

We can: 

·         send high resolution images and video footage 

·         arrange interviews with our expert spokespeople on a range of issues including hunger and food waste 

·         arrange visits to our Regional Centre and, where appropriate, to the charities that benefit from the food 

If you’re looking for a filming location, our Regional Centre is a hive of activity, and presents a unique chance to show the fight against hunger and food waste in action.