FareShare Midlands Opens Ground-Breaking Food Redistribution Facility

The major initiative is designed to supercharge the fight against food poverty and unemployment across Birmingham by offering significantly more capacity to redistribute surplus food alongside facilities for training and education. 

Image: FareShare Midlands

Located in Gravelly Park, Birmingham, The Sir Peter Rigby Coronation Food Hub is set to double the current food redistribution capacity of FareShare Midlands, the region’s leading food redistribution charity. 

Beyond food, the new hub will enable the local community to access training in warehousing, catering and technology, which the charity said will support thousands of people into sustainable employment.

Furthermore, the development of a high specification kitchen facility will provide training for charities and individuals to learn more about utilising surplus food, according to a news statement from FareShare Midlands.  

Birmingham was identified as a priority location for the facility in recognition of the city’s 46% of children who live in poverty and where unemployment stands at 14.5%.

Simone Connolly, FareShare Midlands CEO, said The Sir Peter Rigby Coronation Food Hub represents a “powerful step forward” in tackling food poverty and unemployment across Birmingham. 

“This cutting-edge facility will not only enable FareShare Midlands to redistribute substantially more surplus food to those who need it most, but also help break the cycle of poverty through training and employment opportunities for local people,” explained Connolly (pictured above with staff and volunteers in the new warehouse). 

FareShare Midlands said it currently redistributes surplus food to 650 charities and community groups and schools across the region, helping to feed over 60,000 people every week.  

Rising child poverty is hurting education and the economy, according to FareShare Midlands, as reported by Hits Radio. 

“We’ve got children growing up in homes where buying good food is a real struggle for parents,” Connolly said. “It's detrimental to the economy, it has a lasting impact. These children are going to school, they're not able to concentrate, their attainment suffers.”

While free school meals help, the charity says more action is needed to tackle long-term food poverty.

Addressing The Root Causes of Poverty 

The Birmingham hub forms part of FareShare’s work with the Coronation Food Project, inspired by His Majesty King Charles III, which aims to bridge the gap between food insecurity and food waste.  

The major facility has been made possible thanks to the support of The Sir Peter Rigby Charitable Trust, after philanthropist and business leader Sir Peter Rigby committed £2 million from his Charitable Trust to fund the project. 

“I was deeply shocked and saddened to learn that nearly half of Birmingham’s children live in poverty, with many having very limited access to regular nutritious meals,” said Sir Peter Rigby. “My decision to support the new Coronation Food Hub reflects my commitment to ensuring that local families don’t go hungry.”

Sonia Chhatwal, Executive Director of the Sir Peter Rigby Charitable Trust, said the new warehouse would support the growth of FareShare’s operations across the region. 

“By working in collaboration with FareShare Midlands and local community groups, we aim to reduce food waste and address the root causes of poverty in our region,” Chhatwal noted.

FareShare Midlands said it has launched a recruitment campaign to appeal for volunteers to support operations at the new facility.

With nearly one in seven people in the UK facing food insecurity, and 4.6 million tonnes of food wasted each year, FareShare announced last month that it is merging with The Felix Project to strengthen the combined impact of the two charities.