£16 million for food charities to provide meals for those in need
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The Government has today announced up to £16 million to provide
food for those who are struggling as a result of coronavirus.
The programme will provide millions of meals over the next
12 weeks and be delivered through charities including FareShare and
WRAP (Waste and Resources Action Programme). At least
5,000 frontline charities and community groups in England will
benefit, including refuges, homeless shelters and
rehabilitation...Request free trial
The Government has today announced up to £16
million to provide food for those who are struggling as a result
of coronavirus.
The programme will provide millions of meals
over the next 12 weeks and be delivered through charities
including FareShare and WRAP (Waste and Resources Action
Programme).
At least 5,000 frontline charities and
community groups in England will benefit, including refuges,
homeless shelters and rehabilitation services. It will cover
rural areas as well as cities, targeting those who are struggling
to get food.
Both WRAP and FareShare have well-established
networks for funding local charities and delivering food,
ensuring support can get to where it is needed as quickly as
possible. Part of the fund will also be available for smaller
food distribution charities.
These supplies will be in addition to those
already donated by supermarkets, hospitality businesses,
wholesalers, smaller retailers, suppliers and manufacturers who
have been working collectively, co-ordinated by the Institute of
Grocery Distribution (IGD).
The funding is part of the £750 million pot
announced by the Chancellor for frontline charities across the
UK during
the coronavirus outbreak. This is a further step in work to
allocate that funding package, with Department for Digital,
Culture, Media and Sport leading on the allocation of
funding. It builds on existing government
support for those struggling as a
result of COVID-19.
Environment Secretary George Eustice said:
“During this difficult time our frontline food
charities are doing brilliant work amid a significant increase in
demand – working in refuges, drop-in services, homeless centres
and other places.
“It is absolutely vital they have the
resources they need and this funding will help the most
vulnerable in our society get the food they need at this
enormously challenging time.”
Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said:
"We're doing all we can to support vulnerable people through this crisis and this vital initiative will help provide meals for those who need them. "It is part of the unprecedented £750 million of government funding to provide support for our brilliant charities and volunteers that are so vital to the national effort."
Lindsay Boswell, CEO of Fareshare
said:
"We welcome this support from Defra to obtain
vital food supplies, on top of the generosity already shown by
the UK food industry. This will enable us to continue to supply
much-needed food and drink to the many thousands of frontline
charities and community groups across England that are doing the
humbling work of getting meals to very vulnerable people during
this crisis.
“We want to make clear that this funding will
only be used for the procurement of food and drink and that our
own running costs are funded through other gratefully received
charitable donations. We have seen the generosity of the food
industry who have stepped up to donate food and logistical
support to help us do this, and government has now come in to
play its part alongside . If businesses or local authorities wish
to join our efforts in the fight against hunger and food waste,
be they in food, logistics or have fleets, we urge them to get in
touch with us today."
Marcus Gover, Chief Executive of WRAP,
said:
“We’ve worked with Defra to create a grant
scheme of support for the many organisations across England who
are feeding the most vulnerable among us. In only two weeks we’ve
received a huge response and are finalising the first batch of
applications. This additional funding will be used to expand that
essential work with support for the very smallest, to the largest
charities and enable them to support many more people at this
difficult time.”
The government continues to urge people to
support family, friends and neighbours by helping with shopping
for food and other supplies. Information on how to help safely
can be found on gov.uk/safehelp.
Those who meet the criteria for support from the NHS Volunteer
Responders programme can refer themselves or a
family member by calling 08081963646.
Local councils may also be able to offer
support and give advice to those who do not have friends and
family nearby to help. You can find your local authority by
visiting https://www.gov.uk/find-local-council.
Those who are well and able to get to the
shops are also encouraged to do so, leaving online delivery slots
for those who need them most.
ENDS
Notes to
editors:
The role of FareShare and WRAP is as
follows:
We will also be setting up a Covid-19 Food
Charity Grant Scheme, which will enable other charities that
provide food to apply online for funding. More details on how to
apply for this funding will be available on Monday at this link.
Grocery food retailers , suppliers and
manufacturers, coordinated by IGD, are also making significant
donations to local communities and charities in response to the
outbreak. For example:
Further guidance on how to access food
and other essential supplies during the coronavirus
pandemicis here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-accessing-food-and-essential-supplies
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