UKHarvest goes orange! 

In the early hours on the 7th, Minor Weir & Willis Limited delivered 10 pallets of oranges and carrots to our warehouse in Donnington, a welcome pop of colour on an otherwise bleak January morning! The fruit and veg were loaded into our huge industrial fridges, to make sure it was kept fresh before it was sent out to the people who need it.   

With lockdown in full effect and limited staff allowed in our warehouse our solitary volunteer stepped up the task, repacking the produce into accessible sized crates of mixed food to send to our recipients. We are so grateful to our volunteers who usually work in 3-hour shifts, (with plenty of breaks for a cup of tea of course!) and in that time they will load crates, unload deliveries and pack the vans full of rescued produce. 

These crates will vary depending on the food we rescue; we are always trying to eliminate as much waste as possible. When our vans are loaded and prepared, they are ready to get food to its final destination, where it will be used up and not sent to landfill.   

Our drivers, both employees and volunteers, drive one of our 6 refrigerated vans (which can take up to 1 ton of food each), to foodbanks, schools, youth groups and many more. Each van contains enough food to feed a person for over a year! A single van may visit one, or many different drop-offs in a single trip, stopping to unload, or sometimes pick up, food at each stop. The most stops a single van has done is a whopping 47.  

The carrots and oranges delivered to us were delivered to almost all of our recipients, including many schools and nurseries, helping to keep the children of key workers full of vitamin A and C during our third national lockdown! 

‘Thank you so much for the food you delivered to Portfield Primary! My family were able to enjoy a healthy, tasty casserole made from the delicious veggies- and noodles have made some lovely lunch alternatives’ 

-A parent from Portfield Primary, Chichester 

In the next couple of days, MWW will be delivering 10 pallets of apples and pears, giving us some green to tide us over until spring brings back the leaves.  

We are looking forward to continuing to help people, and reduce waste, through whatever 2021 decides to throw at us!