FareShare opens two new distribution centres to meet ‘sky-rocketing’ demand

• The two warehouses are in Lutterworth, Leicestershire and Banbury in Oxfordshire

• Asda has donated the Lutterworth warehouse site as well as £5m

Food charity FareShare has launched two new national distribution centres to feed what it described as “sky-rocketing” demand during the pandemic.

The charity has teamed up with XPO Logistics to operate two warehouses in Lutterworth, Leicestershire and Banbury in Oxfordshire.

It said more than 4,141 tonnes of food had already been redistributed through the warehouses – with 436 tonnes distributed last week alone, enough to provide over a million meals.

The Lutterworth warehouse site has been donated by Asda as part its programme to help FareShare and the Trussell Trust continue to get food to those who need it throughout the pandemic. As well as donating the warehouse space, Asda has made a £5m donation.

FareShare is supplying 11,000 charities and community groups with more than double the amount of food each week than in the weeks before lockdown began, reporting that applications from new charities wishing to receive food have tripled.

XPO Logistics is donating staff time and resources – deploying colleagues at both warehouse sites and running the operation on the ground, while FareShare is working with the food industry to divert food supplies, either donated by retailers or purchased using emergency funding from Defra – to each site.

The supplies are sent on to FareShare’s 30-strong network of warehouses across the UK as well as to Trussell Trust sites and other food redistribution organisations such as City Harvest and Felix Project.

“The crisis has presented FareShare with a challenge like nothing we’ve ever experienced,” said FareShare CEO Lindsay Boswell.

“We’ve had to significantly adapt our operations while demand for our service has soared and continues to soar. With millions more people now struggling to afford food as a result of the crisis, it has never been more vital to pull together to ensure the most vulnerable in our society don’t fall through the gaps. Thanks to partners like XPO Logistics and Asda, we’ve now doubled the amount of food we’re getting out to charities working on the frontline – and we’re extremely grateful for their support.”

Asda Logistics Services senior manager commercial Simon Blackman added: “It has never been more important to help our communities through this difficult and unprecedented time, which is why we are incredibly proud to support our Fight Hunger Create Change partners, FareShare and the Trussell Trust, to be able to provide food to the most vulnerable people throughout this crisis.”