ALDI MANCHESTER - FAILSWORTH

The Food Rescue Group at Manchester mobilises an active and committed network of student volunteers and community partners from across the city. Led by students from local universities, the group turns climate concern into practical action by addressing food waste at a grassroots level. Food waste is a major driver of climate change. Valuable resources such as land, water, and energy are consumed to produce food, yet large quantities are discarded and sent to landfill, where they generate methane, a greenhouse gas far more potent than carbon dioxide. By rescuing surplus food and redirecting it to people who need it, the group reduces environmental harm while supporting families and individuals across Manchester. The initiative works in partnership with local producers, retailers, and food businesses to ensure surplus food is used rather than wasted. These partnerships reduce disposal costs for businesses while delivering measurable environmental benefits. In Manchester, operations are powered by students from the University of Manchester, Manchester Metropolitan University, the University of Salford, the University of Bolton, and the Royal Northern College of Music, alongside members of the Hindu community and other local groups. Together, they demonstrate how student-led action can create meaningful climate impact. Pickup and distribution in Manchester are coordinated by Haojun Shuai and Ramanujam Nagarajan, who manage volunteer schedules, oversee collections, and ensure rescued food is delivered promptly and safely. Their leadership supports efficient operations while keeping the group’s work firmly rooted in student engagement and community values. Food is collected and redistributed within 15 minutes of pickup, ensuring freshness and removing the need for storage facilities. All items are carefully inspected to meet food safety standards, and any unsuitable food is disposed of responsibly to minimise environmental impact. Coordination is managed through a dedicated WhatsApp group, providing real-time updates on collection times, locations, and quantities. Through this work, the Food Rescue Group at Manchester diverts significant volumes of food from landfill, reduces greenhouse gas emissions, conserves valuable resources, and strengthens community connections. As the group continues to grow, it remains committed to showing how student-led climate action can drive real change, one meal, one volunteer, and one community at a time.

We are a community-led charity tackling poverty at its roots by empowering people and communities to overcome barriers and build sustainable futures. We support children, young people, adults, older people and families who experience multiple deprivation such as low income, unemployment, isolation, migration and disability. Through early intervention, tailored support and community-driven activities, we help people build resilience, develop skills and gain independence. Our work focuses on: 1. Advancing education and training so people gain the skills, knowledge and confidence to reach their potential. 2. Preventing and relieving hardship, sickness and distress through practical support, guidance and community-based programmes. 3. Promoting physical and mental wellbeing, helping people to live healthy, connected and fulfilling lives. 4. Championing equality, human rights and diversity so everyone feels valued, respected and included. 5. Supporting young people with mentoring, advice and opportunities that build life skills, confidence and independence. 6. Advancing environmental protection and sustainability by engaging communities in greener and more resilient ways of living. We are proud to be community-led and people-focused, working in partnership with schools, local authorities, funders, national organisations and neighbourhood groups. Each programme we deliver is shaped by local voices and designed to meet real community needs. Guided by our values of empowerment, inclusion, collaboration, innovation and accountability, we’re building stronger, fairer and more connected communities where everyone can thrive.

At Oldham Foodbank we try do more than just provide food for people coming to us. We find out if there is any other help or services there is a need for, we have computers for accessing online services and job searches. We are members of the Oldham Food Network and are able to share fresh / excess short life products to make sure we help feed bellies not bins! We also work with other organisations to help new tenants, We run Eat Well Spend Less courses to teach people basic cookery skills. Working with local charities Keyring and Christians Against Poverty, we are part of the Ancora Project which has been funded by the National Lottery for five years helping people through crisis Most of the basic foods we use are donated by the general public but we also welcome donations from businesses eg. stock over runs.