Shrewsbury Food Hub is an environmental charity founded in 2016, with a mission to redistribute food and promote food waste reduction in Shropshire for environmental and social good.

Different from food banks, Shrewsbury Food Hub’s aim is not to tackle food poverty and insecurity, but to tackle climate change by preventing food waste and redistributing surplus food to the public. In 2021, Shrewsbury Food Hub successfully rescued 175 tonnes of food, redistributing 420,000 meals to over 48 community groups, reducing 450 tonnes of carbon dioxide.

Everyday at 7 am, their harvesting teams collect any surplus food from local shops, manufacturers and farms in Shropshire. These include vegetables, pastry, meat, dairy product and many more. Another team of volunteers then checks and allocates food to different community groups they work with, providing meals and snacks to charities and groups who support children, homeless individuals, refugees, and a wide range of other individuals in need.

However, as Christmas approaches, thousands of delectable dishes and ingredients go to waste. Fortunately, Shrewsbury Food Hub has an annual project which involves turning mountains of surplus vegetables into delicious soup during this festive season. Cherry, the fundraising assistant of Shrewsbury Food Hub said, “Soupersonic helps us tackle seasonal food waste while supporting our community in a practical and innovative way. This project was a huge success last year and we’re really looking forward to doing it again.”

Apart from redistributing food, Shrewsbury Food Hub also organizes campaigns to educate citizens about food waste and how we can reduce surplus food and help the environment. Their “Taste with No Waste Challenge” is a series of video tips on how to tackle food waste at home, including tricks to waste less and easy recipes to make the most of your food. If you are interested, you may sign up to the Taste With No Waste challenge here: https://tastenotwaste.shrewsburyfoodhub.org.uk/.

If you are interested in collecting surplus food from Shrewsbury Food Hub, you may come along to a Foodshare near you, which runs on a pay-as-you-feel basis, to acquire surplus food while saving some money.

As the cost of operation continue to rise, with escalating energy and fuel cost, Shrewsbury Food Hub is reaching out for your assistance in this time of deepening financial pressure. If you would like to support this ambitious local charity and make a difference in our community, you may donate to the Shrewsbury Food Hub on https://www.shrewsburyfoodhub.org.uk/. Donations will be used to cover the operation cost of Shrewsbury Food Hub, allowing them to carry on their mission. You may find more information on https://www.shrewsburyfoodhub.org.uk/.