Kate and Charlotte, volunteers at FareShare North East have been volunteering with us for over a year and have made a huge impact on helping vulnerable people by picking and packing on a weekly basis for different organisations and local community groups. Rebecca, our Fundraising and Communications Co-ordinator, managed to speak to them to find out why they started volunteering here, their background and a little more about who they are. 

Why did you start volunteering here?

We both retired at similar times, it was something to do together and to help the community. We had other friends who worked here so they passed it onto us. It was very different to what we had done before and to our previous jobs. 

What jobs did you have previously?

Kate – I was a Physiotherapist for 35 years 

Charlotte – I was a Doctor for 30 years

How long have you been friends for?

We have been friends for 20 years through our children and best friends ever since. 

Working here, do you get to catch up every week? 

It’s a friendly team of people, it’s a nice environment to work in. You get to meet other people and chat and find out what other people’s interesting walks of life have been like.

Do you think FareShare does a good job and has an impact on the community?

They have a very good effect on the community, at the moment money is tight and there’s a lot of food poverty going around. Also, I think the environmental side of it is attractive as well, saving landfill, so I think it serves a dual purpose. 

Thanks Kate and Charlotte for your continued support working with us every single week. You are both a huge help in the warehouse and an asset to our volunteering team!

If you would like to volunteer for FareShare North East, please click here.

Take a look at our snapshot of 2021…

2021 was a huge year for FareShare North East in terms of the support we provided to our food members and the number of volunteers that joined our team. We are very proud of what we have achieved in partnership with the charities and community groups we support. With the cost of living increasing rapidly, our food redistribution efforts are need more than ever before.

We redistributed 1,718 tonnes of food…enough for 4,091,139 meals!

Despite seeing less food coming in, and often needing to work with shorter-dated food than we would like, we still managed to get food out to those who require it most. We want to say a big thank you to our volunteers, members and supporters for working with us through these challenging times.

If you are an individual or an organisation that would like to donate your surplus food click here. If you want to support our charity, click here.

FareShare North East is inviting keen adventurers and camping enthusiasts to join them in journeying the length of Hadrian’s Wall, to celebrate the 1900 Festival and to raise money for their food redistribution service.

To mark the special anniversary of Hadrian’s Wall being built 1900 years ago, we are organising a fundraiser that challenges people to walk 88 miles across four days along the historic paths of Hadrian’s Wall.

When is the Event?

Arriving at Bowness-on-Solway on the 21st of April, you can expect four days of good company, amazing views, challenging walking sessions, and rewarding wind downs at campsites every evening. The challenge will be perfect for experienced hikers, but achievable for anyone who’s new to outdoor fitness or walking for long periods – support staff here at FareShare North East have put together a preparation guide for the walk and can help anyone to get ready to achieve this goal. They’ll also be sharing the load and taking on the challenge with you, and will be there to offer their guidance and support throughout the whole journey. Together we will finish at Segedunum and reach a well-earned rest, as well as a warm welcome from supporters.

Sponsors and Donations

FareShare North East asks anyone who is interested in the 88 Mile Challenge to also support the charity by gaining sponsors for their impressive trek.

Joining us in our fundraising efforts would play a huge part in helping us to carry out our work. Donations from sponsors will fund the running of 7 busy delivery vans so that there is enough petrol, maintenance, and equipment to keep getting food to people in need. They will also contribute to costs covering equipment for volunteers, ensuring everyone is safe and supported during their shifts.

How to Get Involved:

Get involved, show your support, and sign up for this special celebration! To register by the 25th of February:

1. Email: [email protected] and let us know you’re interested in the challenge
2. Tell us whether you want to do the full 88 miles or, if you can’t make the full thing, just the last day (23 miles)
3. We will then send you an information pack and registration forms to read through and complete
4. Return the forms so we can add you to our official participants list
5. Attend a virtual meet up in early March to meet your fellow adventurers and to hear more about the challenge (date to be confirmed via email).

If you would like to donate or sponsor someone, please donate here.

FareShare North East redistributes approximately 34 tonnes of surplus food a week to 285 community groups across the north east of England. We could not do this without our fantastic volunteers. Moira volunteers as one of our warehouse assistants and helps to make some of these deliveries. Moira has been volunteering at FareShare North East since May 2020. 

“I was unaware of the extent of the geographical area that FareShare North East covers. It is amazing”

After retiring in 2018 and tackling all those irritating jobs that we all leave to another time, Moira was attracted to the work of FareShare North East.

“Volunteering provides structure to my week. I know that every Thursday I am at FareShare North East and that takes priority. During lockdown the journeys out were a welcome change to my local area”.

Moira goes on to say, “I signed up as a driver or drivers mate. When I saw the size of the vans I decided against being a driver! Interacting with members of the community and knowing that the food is a vital part of helping so many people bringing a profound sense of satisfaction”. She was a registered dietitian in Newcastle for 30 years, devising and delivering nutrition education courses for both individuals and community groups. Moira sees an overlap between her previous experience and the work of FareShare North East’s Members.

Moira sets a great example of how to use surplus food to its full potential with her mouth-watering culinary delights, that we all have the pleasure of enjoying. She is deeply committed to the work of FareShare North East and acknowledges that one must really believe in the importance of its work in order for the organisation to thrive and flourish.

Volunteers like Moira have the passion and commitment that helps enable FareShare North East to help fight hunger and tackle food waste.

We are always looking for volunteers to join our team. If you would like to volunteer for FareShare North East, click here to apply.

On Sunday 12th December 2021 at precisely 5pm, Wylam’s residents gathered round a large Christmas tree by Charlie’s Corner to sing carols and count down to the festive light switch-on!

Festive Joy at Wylam

Back in 2020, Sarah Grainger organised a village-wide event in Wylam to bring festive cheer to her local community. Residents decorated their house with Christmas lights and the town was decorated from top to bottom. Funds were raised through donations and by selling programmes – in total £2,527 was raised to go towards our work.

Sarah did the same this year – organising a second ‘Light Up Wylam’ event. This time Katie, our Development Manager, got to talk to the residents about what we do here at FareShare North East and helped lead the Christmas lights countdown with ITV News representatives. The happiness and festive cheer was definitely noticeable in the atmosphere as people gathered for a worthy cause and started to get excited for Christmas! Residents then gathered outside The Ship Inn pub for a catch-up and purchased raffle tickets to win some great prizes.

Children attending Wylam First School also designed some very festive Christmas Stockings as part of a competition with funds also going towards FareShare North East.

Thank You!

A massive thank you to Sarah, her team and residents of Wylam for raising a tremendous amount for FareShare North East this Christmas. Donations are still open, so click here if you would like to donate.

In April 2020, Lynsey Jones was put on furlough from her job as a Regional Sales Manager at Balkan Holidays. She started to volunteer for the NHS Responder App, delivering food and prescriptions to people in her local area. Still wanting to do more for her community, she started volunteering for FareShare North East that month.

“The best part is knowing that an hour of my time works out to around 72 meals in the local community, doing something for others gives me the best feelings.”

She liked the idea of having shifts and getting out of the house during lockdown to help others, as well as keeping herself sane during such unpredictable times. When she saw FareShare North East were looking for volunteers as part of the Emergency Covid-19 Response, she jumped at the chance! Lynsey was also interested in food waste and wanted to join a charity that tackled this issue head on. 

Lynsey has been working with us for over 18 months, often coming in numerous times each week to help us sort and pack food ready to send to the charities we work with. Lynsey is now back at her original job, and while everyone is missing her energy in the warehouse, we can all look forward to seeing her soon.

“I will definitely be back during my annual leave as I really miss not only helping the community but also the volunteers who I have become friends with!”

We are so thankful to Lynsey, and for our team of dedicated and passionate volunteers… we wouldn’t be able to do our work without them, or have as much fun while doing it!

If would like to get involved and volunteer for FareShare North East please click here for more information.