About us

What we do

FareShare Greater Manchester is a leading member of the UK’s largest food charity, FareShare.

We are one of a network of 21 similar centres located across the country. As a community of independent franchise charities, we are all fighting the same issues: hunger and food waste. Millions of tonnes of good food is disposed of by the UK Food Industry every year. At the same time, millions of people are struggling to afford to eat.

EMERGE set up FareShare Greater Manchester in 2008. Our work addresses the two issues of waste and need – by redistributing food industry surplus, which would otherwise go to waste, to the people who need it most.

At FareShare Greater Manchester, our commitment to being a leading food charity extends far beyond simply redistributing surplus food.

We are dedicated to implementing sustainable solutions that address the root causes of food poverty and waste in our community. By empowering individuals and communities with the knowledge and resources they need to access nutritious food and build food security, we are not only alleviating immediate hunger but also working towards a future where everyone has the opportunity to thrive.

Join us in our mission to lead the way towards a more equitable and sustainable food system for all.

Our process

Our process

1.

We take quality, in-date surplus food…

We take quality, in-date surplus food… 4.6 million tonnes of surplus edible food was disposed of by the UK food industry last year. We rescued and redistributed 2,000 tonnes of that food to over 250 charities and community groups across Greater Manchester from Wigan to High Peak, Manchester city centre to East Cheshire. In order to be able to do that, we relied on the help of our staff and our brilliant team of volunteers who donated 23,687 hours of their time. In real terms, the work we did meant the equivalent of 4.72 million meals were redistributed to people who need it most across our city and beyond.

2.

Receive it at our Greater Manchester warehouse…

We receive deliveries each day at our Greater Manchester warehouse which our brilliant team of volunteers sort and store. In turn, we provide support to our volunteers; our way of saying thank you.

3.

And distribute it to charity members in our community…

Our volunteers then redistribute to over 306 charities, schools and community groups across Greater Manchester.Members can then sign up to weekly orders of food from our warehouse to support their food needs, which they then compliment with regular purchases or donations of food.

Read more about getting extra food from us.

4.

Who transform the food into nutritious meals for those in need

In 2024 we redistributed enough food for 4.8 million meals. The organisations we support provide vital services alongside their food offering. They range from homeless shelters to food clubs and pantries, disability charities to school breakfast clubs, striving to address food insecurity locally and regionally.

Did you know…

Over 620,000 people in Greater Manchester live in households that are struggling to get by.

That includes 180,000 children and young people.

Figures from Greater Together Manchester.

Our Projects

Our Projects

Together we can: 7 million meals

Together we can provide 7 million meals, tackling hunger and food waste across Greater Manchester.

Read more