Locals in Liverpool are invited to pitch in to stop surplus food from going to waste this Christmas by collecting it from Tesco stores and sharing it with their neighbours.
Tesco stores in Liverpool have partnered with food sharing app and social enterprise OLIO to help reduce food waste and provide a helping hand in the local community. Across the UK, there will be approximately 2,000 volunteering opportunities to pick up food for the community this Christmas, which could put food on the tables of struggling families.
OLIO is looking for locals to sign up to join its network of 10,000 local volunteers, known as ‘Food Waste Heroes’. OLIO’s Food Waste Heroes partner with Tesco stores, receive full training and then collect surplus food nearing its sell-by date to redistribute it in the local community. Volunteer sign ups can be made via the OLIO website.
The food is taken back to their homes, with the items immediately uploaded onto the OLIO app, ready to be given away free of charge to those living nearby as well as to community groups.
OLIO app users can then request items and pick them up from the agreed pick-up point. All handovers are no-contact and socially distanced.
In return for their efforts ‘Food Waste Heroes’ are allowed to keep up to 10 per cent of what they collect from stores if they would like. OLIO is registered with the Food Standards Agency which ensures that all food collected is safe for human consumption. OLIO also ensures that all volunteers are appropriately trained on how to collect, store and redistribute food safely.
Stella Johnson, 36, food waste hero from Liverpool said: “I decided to volunteer with OLIO because I wanted a way to give back, and helping to tackle food waste while also meeting people in my community seemed like the perfect way. I’ve been shopping in Liverpool’s Tesco for years; so I was so pleased to hear that they’ve signed up to OLIO to distribute food that would otherwise go to waste. I’m looking forward to meeting so many more people in Liverpool as they take advantage of this, and hopefully this will help us all save a few more pennies as well as the planet.”
OLIO co-founder, Tessa Clarke said: “This Christmas may be hard for many more families this year as a result of the pandemic, and our partnership with Tesco can provide a much-needed helping hand.
“We can’t do this without the support of people in Liverpool. By becoming a Food Waste Hero, people can not only share food with those who may be struggling at the moment, but also join us in the fight against food waste at a really wasteful time of year. We encourage Liverpool residents to sign up to the scheme via our website and look forward to welcoming them to the OLIO community this Christmas.”
Become a Food Waste Hero here: https://olioex.com/get-involved/volunteer/food-waste-heroes/
