Food Drives to Fill Cupboards

It’s Harvest Festival! And Donna Martin, Community Engagement and Events Manager at UKHarvest has been working her magic, engaging organisations, schools and companies to join in our biggest food drive to date. 

Talking to Donna about the importance of food drives, Donna said "Ambient food is a huge part of everyday life, and as tinned and dried food have a longer shelf life, they are often low on the list of items that UKHarvest can collect from food donors. This year, we’re working closely with some incredible communities to ensure that cupboards across the South, are fully stocked, ready for the Winter months ahead. We aim to encourage everyone to think about how they could support others, during this difficult time and hope that we can collect as much ambient food as possible to distribute through our community food hubs." 

The staff and students at Chichester High School have been hugely engaged with our Food Drive, with Donna attending year group assemblies throughout September, to ensure that everyone is aware of the need for ambient food provisions, as well as making sure that households know how to reduce their own food waste, therefore saving money. “UKHarvest is brilliant! A charity that is trying to tackle food poverty for so many families here in the UK. UKHarvest provides nutritious food to families who are struggling financially. That’s why at Chichester High School the staff and students have chosen to donate food to UKHarvest because we believe it is so important to give back to our community. We know that UKHarvest have worked with some families within our school community, and we know that there are many more people in need of food.” says Beth Church, a teacher at Chichester High School. 

Littlehampton Academy have also joined the Food Drive, conducting their own collections across the school and donating it to UKHarvest for distribution across the surrounding communities. Rev’d Paul Sanderson MBE, Chaplain at Littlehampton Academy has said that “It’s a privilege to work alongside UK Harvest as we educate our students about reducing waste and the need for food in our community. Our students are getting busy designing boxes full of colour and creativity ready to present at our Harvest celebration. Of course, it’s what’s inside the box that will make the difference, and the students and staff are learning the power of generosity as we think of others as well as being given time to pause and say thank you for what we have” 

A2Dominion, who have named UKHarvest their charity of the year, are aiming to collect a staggering 2 tonnes of ambient food in their own Harvest Heroes Food Drive. Over 4 locations in London and their offices in Winchester, Donna has worked closely with the team to share information about the importance of supporting our communities through food donations, specifically through items such as dried pasta, rice and tinned fruit and vegetables. Dele Ryder, Partnership and Funding Manager at A2Dominion has been instrumental in the organisation of their Food Drive, sharing that “A2Dominion are very excited to participate in our first ever Food Drive with our chosen charity of the year UKHarvest, it’s a great initiative to get the whole company involved in donating nonperishable food and household products which will be distributed via a range of charities to communities A2Dominion and partners serve.” 

The staff and volunteers at UKHarvest would like to offer a huge Thank You to everyone that has been involved this year. Your donations will make a big difference, no matter how small they may seem. 

If your school or organisation would like to organise a Food Drive to support UKHarvest, please get in touch with Donna via email donna.martin@ukharvest.org.uk. 

Watch this space for updates on the amount of food collected via our social media @ukharvest.