"It was deeply rewarding to see how our financial support was helping individuals that the charity was supporting"

James Hobbs, Head of Transformation at HSBC Global Services UK, came to visit FareShare Midlands' Birmingham site earlier this year for a Corporate Volunteering day. He said:

"The best part of my job at HSBC is co-chairing the Birmingham Regional Community Committee. The committee reviews applications submitted by colleagues for charities to fund initiatives and projects that support financial inclusion, capability, and resilience in the local community.

At the start of the year, the committee was able to support an employability project for FareShare Midlands. Around the same time, the committee was discussing other ways in which members could help local charities, and a decision was made to roll up our sleeves and volunteer at FareShare Midlands local warehouse in Nechells.

On a chilly February morning, half a dozen of us turned up at the FareShare Midlands warehouse. After a short overview which highlighted the efforts and impact of the charity, a health and safety briefing, and being equipped with a pair of gloves and some sturdy boots, we were put to work.

Warehouses packed with donations multiple stories tall surrounded a bank of desks, which was the focus of activity. Employees and volunteers stood around a makeshift office where orders from other charities (food banks, lunch clubs, etc.) were being printed. Volunteers organized themselves to pick the requisite items from across the warehouses and prepare them into trolleys for onward collection or delivery.

Our small group, one of four working at the time, spent half the day packing household brands, loose vegetables, frozen meat, and other food into trolleys. Packing over two tons of food to support local charities - realising that we were one of four groups, on just one day packing up so much food – what we achieved felt awesome, but I left with mixed emotions recognising the scale of demand and need from local communities.

Volunteering in a cold warehouse on a winter morning was great fun. We worked brilliantly as a team, managing orders, coordinating collection to fulfil the orders at pace, and trying not to get buried in a mountain of carrots donated from a local farm. It was deeply rewarding to see how our financial support was helping individuals that the charity was supporting and the lasting impact it would have, alongside having the opportunity to roll up your sleeves and make a small difference ourselves on the day.

I would unhesitatingly recommend volunteering at the charity. It’s physical work but an amazing opportunity to do something meaningful as a team and pull people together. If you are reading this now, get a few folks together and get a date in the diary to help out."

Get Involved

FareShare Midlands is calling on businesses, individuals, and communities to support its mission to fight hunger, reduce food waste, and create opportunity. To discuss how you can make a difference, contact Pauline Clarke, Corporate Partnerships Manager on 07843 134549, fundraising@faresharemidlands.org.uk.

Together, we can tackle hunger, reduce food waste, and create lasting change across the Midlands.