Charities in Greater Manchester struggle to meet rising food demand

Charities in Greater Manchester are facing financial difficulties amid growing demand for food assistance.

The UK’s largest food rescue charity, Felix, revealed that more than 80% of organisations receiving its redistributed surplus food depend heavily on these supplies.

A survey by Felix of over 2,700 charities indicated that without this support, one-third of the organisations might have to close their food services, and half could be forced to reduce their operations.

Charlotte Hill, chief executive of Felix, highlighted the impact of food inflation, saying: “Food inflation means more people simply cannot afford to feed themselves and their families and have no choice but to turn to a charity."

She explained that the charity sector faces higher operational costs and declining donations.

Two out of five charities supplied by Felix have reported a surge in demand over the past year due to rising fuel and food prices.

The Felix Project, now merged with FareShare, operates seven depots across London, Liverpool, Ipswich, and Southampton. Its 16 independent network partners manage additional depots nationwide.

Lucy Danger, CEO of Emerge Manchester, Felix's partner in Greater Manchester, expressed the difficulties amid the cost of living crisis.

She said: "The people are struggling with choices between heating or eating. The cost of living has gone up significantly. The charities do rely on getting food via Felix and FareShare. But without this service available, many of these organisations wouldn't be able to offer food at all."

Last year they received nearly 3, 500 tonnes of food from Felix, which helped provide roughly six million meals to community groups.

Danger noted that while this is a significant contribution, it's only a fraction of what is required, emphasising the need for more drivers and volunteers to sustain the effort.

"It's a really good time to get in touch with us to become part of the solution," she added.

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