When we launched the TouchPoint Community Food Share project in April this year, we were excited about the potential to help to reduce food waste and also to support our community with good food. Surplus food is donated by local supermarkets, we distribute it to the community, and every item is free. The response has surpassed all of our expectations, and we wanted to share some of the data with you all!
- In addition to the four, weekly Food Shares here at Crafton Green in Stansted Mountfitchet, we now also have a weekly food share in Elsenham and plans to launch in other communities very soon
- We are now reaching more than 1,000 people a week, and according to data from the organisation FareShare, since we launched we have given away the equivalent of more than 100,000 meals
- In the three months from July to September this year, we shared 14.6 tonnes of fresh produce – to put that in perspective, a double-decker bus weighs about 12.6 tonnes!
We think you will agree, this is all pretty amazing! So, a big thank you to everyone who has supported this project, and in particular our team of dedicated volunteers, who collect and sort the produce, and set up and manage the Food Shares each week. Absolutely none of this would be possible without their energy and enthusiasm.
If you would like to get involved with the Food Share, we are always looking for more volunteers, please email us on volunteer@thetouchpoint.org.
And if you would like to come along to a food share and help us to reduce food waste, you can find us in Elsenham outside the Memorial Hall off Leigh Drive CM22 6BY, and at Crafton Green in Stansted CM24 8AQ on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 11am-12pm. Please check our Facebook page before heading out to confirm the food share is happening that day.