Sainsbury's Nether Edge Local

The project began in May 2015 and ran a series of successful pop-ups, feeding an average of 201 people per event and utilising 15 volunteers each time to assist in the planning and execution of the events. Fast forward to 2026 and Food Works now recovers over 300 tonnes of surplus food per year to help build a fair and sustainable food system in Sheffield. Through our two community cafes and 17 community partner hubs we are providing access to affordable, sustainable food across the city.

Food Rescue Group, Sheffield takes a practical, community-led approach to tackling food waste and promoting sustainable living across the city. In an era shaped by climate change, resource scarcity, and ecological imbalance, the Sheffield initiative is both timely and essential. A central focus of our work is addressing food waste, a major issue that results in the unnecessary loss of valuable resources and contributes significantly to methane emissions from landfill. Tackling this challenge is both an environmental necessity and a moral responsibility, as redistributing surplus food can provide vital support to local families and individuals. We work closely with local producers and retailers to ensure surplus food is used rather than wasted. These partnerships help businesses reduce disposal costs while delivering measurable environmental benefits for the wider community. Pickup and distribution in Sheffield are coordinated by Joseph Ukkan, who oversees volunteer scheduling, manages collections, and ensures rescued food is delivered promptly to where it is most needed. His leadership helps maintain efficiency, safety, and a strong community focus across all operations. The initiative is powered by dedicated local volunteers who collect and redistribute surplus food shortly after it becomes available. This rapid turnaround ensures freshness, removes the need for storage, and supports the highest standards of food safety and quality. Every item is carefully inspected, and any unsuitable food is disposed of responsibly to minimise environmental impact. Coordination is managed through a dedicated WhatsApp group, providing volunteers with real-time updates on collection schedules, locations, and available quantities. This efficient communication system enables fast responses and ensures the smooth operation of rescue and redistribution efforts. By diverting large quantities of food from landfill, the Food Rescue Group, Sheffield significantly reduces methane emissions and resource waste. The initiative not only supports those in immediate need but is open to anyone who recognises the importance of valuing food and preventing waste. By engaging a broad cross-section of the community, the group fosters a shared commitment to sustainability and responsible consumption. As the group continues to refine its strategies and expand local engagement, it is making meaningful progress towards a more sustainable and inclusive future. Join us in Sheffield and help make a difference, one meal, one volunteer, and one community at a time.

We run a community pantry open to anyone in need of food, it is run on surplus food collections our aim is to feed as many families as we can We run our pantry from a local church/community centre. We run every Monday morning. https://www.facebook.com/share/rYJ6YGmtEDnE1hDD/?mibextid=K35XfP https://www.facebook.com/share/rYJ6YGmtEDnE1hDD/?mibextid=K35XfP We advertise on our facebook page.. see link above and on other local facebook pages as well as the church magazine and word of mouth . We have 580 members and growing all the time . Our pantry users queue from 3 hours before, showing the great need in the community. There is absolutely no charge to come in and fill your basket/bags provided . If anyone wants to leave a small donation then we are very appreciative . We have a church pantry bank account which we bank the donations every week. We manage to buy all our weekly pantry needs from this, such as bags, containers, hygiene gloves, thermometers, temperature charts, pat testing, cleaning stuff and also hire a large commercial bin and emptying service. We don’t have a large amount left as send to our local community farm and for composting at our local allotments. A no profit lunch club is also run by the church and community centre in the next room, the users are brought in by community transport buses, local buses, cars and by foot . This is very important for the elderly and disabled as some dont see anyone week to week. They also enjoy using our pantry We recently were invited to have a table at a question and answer event at another nearby centre. We were amongst other local organisations such as. Local environment groups, renewable energy advice, transport, recycling etc. we found this valuable as got a lot of interesting questions asked which helped us to understand exactly what the locals want. . We also collect donations from fareshare . We have had visits from local MPs, environmental health and have got a 5 star hygiene rating on our door and hold hygiene certificates ourselves . We would like to open on another day with support . Our volunteers are amazing, we have a great team .