TouchPoint Community Foodshare
The TouchPoint Community Foodshare was created as a food waste reduction initiative in early 2022. We offer this free to all in our community in order to remove any potential barriers to engagement.
We now re-distribute more than 8 tonnes of fresh produce a month, directly impacting more than 1,500 people a week. Regular TouchPoint FoodShares are held in Stansted, Elsenham, Takeley, Thaxted and Saffron Walden. We also directly support 4 primary schools, Stansted Youth Club and Bishop’s Stortford YMCA.
This project has grown to become one of our most visible and successful initiatives and is a powerful engagement and signposting tool. By creating a warm, welcoming environment and building trust, we see many of our Foodshare customers becoming beneficiaries of multiple TouchPoint services and activities. Many have gone on to become TouchPoint volunteers.
The Foodshare has become a huge logistical challenge. In a typical week at least 60 volunteers each give 3 hours (on average) of their time in order to deliver this service. They make more than 50 weekly collections from food retailers throughout our area. The nature of the project means that much of their work is unseen and is done during anti-social hours, either in the early morning or late at night. We are truly grateful to our volunteers for their contribution and commitment.
