FareShare North East supported by Amazon in Gateshead

As the UK’s longest running food distribution charity, FareShare has been redistributing surplus food to frontline charities for 30 years.

Nearly one million people have been reached by its services in the last year, through more than 8,000 charities across the UK. As part of the FareShare network, FareShare North East runs regional centres in Newcastle and Middlesbrough.

Twelve employees from the Amazon fulfilment centre in Gateshead recently volunteered their time to facilitate the packing and donation of over four tonnes of non-food essentials to FareShare North East’s Newcastle regional centre.

The products included personal hygiene items and household cleaning supplies, enabling FareShare to extend its support beyond food insecurity. Employees from the Amazon delivery station in Gateshead also volunteered to assist with FareShare’s deliveries, allowing for a wider distribution to areas such as North Northumberland.

Dan Stewart, Site Leader at Amazon in Gateshead, said: “FareShare is such a fantastic charity, tackling two very important issues. We’re very proud to have helped it provide a new branch of support through the donation of personal hygiene and household cleaning products.”

Tosin Olaniyi works at Amazon in Gateshead and took part in the volunteering. She added: “We had a great time packing the donations together for FareShare, and we were all boosted by the knowledge that it would make a difference to those who need it.”

FareShare North East has a team of more than 150 volunteers and 16 staff working to get nutritious food to those who need it most across Newcastle, Sunderland, North Tyneside, South Tyneside, Gateshead, Northumberland, Durham and Teesside.

Jake Hanmore, Chief Executive at FareShare North East said: “We would like to say thank you to Dan and the team at Amazon in Gateshead for volunteering their time and for making the donations to FareShare North East. It allowed us to broaden the support we provide and will be greatly appreciated by those who benefit from our services. We greatly appreciate all the support from Amazon in Gateshead.”

Community donations and employee volunteering are just two of the ways Amazon supports the communities where it operates. Amazon co-founded the Multibank initiative with former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown to support families in need. The Junction Multibank opened this year, with Middlesbrough charity The Junction.

The initiative has donated more than 5 million surplus goods to over 500,000 families across Wales, Scotland, Greater Manchester, London, and Tees Valley. Amazon has supported more than one million students across the UK with free STEM education programmes through Amazon Future Engineer and helps community organisations transport meals and other essentials to families in need through its pro bono logistics programme, Amazon Local Good.

Amazon partners with Comic Relief and is the official home of the charity’s iconic Red Nose. Together with its employees, customers, and partners, Amazon has raised over £4.8 million to fund projects that support people across the UK, and around the world.