Shrewsbury food charity receives boost from homebuilder
Shropshire housebuilder David Wilson Homes has donated £250 to the Shrewsbury Food Hub, a charity with a mission to reduce food waste across the county.
The charity, located near the housebuilder’s Rose Place development, collects surplus food from 40 suppliers including local farmers, manufacturers and supermarkets, make sure it’s in good condition and then redistributes it through its network of 74 community groups.
Tammy Bloodworth, Manager at Shrewsbury Food Hub, said: “The £250 donation from David Wilson Homes will enable us to rescue another 24 trays or 240 kilograms of food, which is enough for a food share for 50 families or one of our groups for 12 weeks.”
“We are thrilled that David Wilson Homes is supporting us this year, and we hope that this will be the beginning of a longer partnership.”
The charity works with 20 schools, six playgroups, and 10 youth clubs, alongside a range of charities and front-line organisations to source food for them to ensure so they can then spend their precious budget on other essential costs. For example, if the charity takes a tray of vegetables to a hospice, it means there is a greater budget available for healthcare facilities.
Tammy continued: “We support the domestic abuse network, Headway brain injury charity, mental health services across Shropshire, Shrewsbury Foodbank and, of course, the Shrewsbury Ark - our local charity supporting people experiencing homelessness.
“We support groups helping refugees, as well as those that work with vulnerable people and people living with disabilities. We also run 14 food shares a week for the public where no referral is needed, and all we ask is people bring a bag and a small donation to help us ensure the food is put to good use.”
Last year, the charity rescued 250 tonnes of food including fruit, vegetables, bakery goods, as well as meat and dairy products. The value of the food that it put back into the community was £1.3 million, and the carbon saved by reducing waste was equivalent to not driving around the planet 100 times.
Helen Lewis, Managing Director at David Wilson Homes Mercia, said: “We are proud to support the Shrewsbury Food Hub and its mission to reduce the edible food that is wasted every day.
“We hope that the charity continues its fantastic work in the local area and that our donation encourages others to do the same.”
