Volunteer Briefing Pack

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1 Volunteer Briefing Pack Thank you for signing up to volunteer at the Neighbourhood Food Collection. You are now part of an amazing team that stretches the length and breadth of the country, from the Shetland Islands all the way down to Penzance in Cornwall. Together we can make a big difference to some of the 5.8 million people currently living in deep poverty in the UK, who are unable to afford everyday essentials like food. FareShare provides food to 2,489 charities and community groups across the UK. These charities offer not only a meal but invaluable support to some of society s most vulnerable people. As demand for our food grows, your support for the Neighbourhood Food Collection will enable us to provide more charities with the store-cupboard staples they need. Lunch at Disabled People s Contact, a charity using food from FareShare to support vulnerable people in the community.

2 Contents Page 1. The Collection and FareShare 2. The charities you are helping 3. How the Collection works 4. What to expect on the day 5. Top tips for approaching customers 6. What should I do if FAQs Clive at Light Bites Community Café, which offers food and company to everyone from young families to older people at risk of isolation.

3 The charities you are helping We currently support over 2,489 charities across the UK and are continuing to grow. These include a whole range of vulnerable groups such as women s refuge centres, children s breakfast clubs, older people s lunch clubs, homeless shelters, rehabilitation centres and disability groups. To these people, a meal is more than just filling an empty stomach, but a place to build community and relationships. Case study: Disabled People s Contact Disabled People s Contact is a day centre for disabled and vulnerable older people who might be lonely or have mental health conditions. Their mission is to support the community by offering a safe place to visit, meet friends and enjoy a healthy balanced meal. The Centre are supported in the work they do through their relationship with FareShare, which provides food for their daily lunches. Day Centre Manager Erica Ross says: FareShare helps us improve the diets of people in the local community: we provide three of the recommended 5-a-day and are able to introduce seasonal variety into our meals. This is especially important for people who cannot cook for themselves as well as for those who are experiencing poverty. Having this relationship with FareShare has in the first year reduced our food bill by 30%. As a charity, this has enabled us to put more money towards the cost of day trips, entertainment and activities. It is a bit like fundraising in reverse! Maureen For two years I was just looking at the walls, so the doctor told me to come here. And I love it. It keeps me going. I love playing bingo and anything I win I spend in the charity shop. I then donate the items back to the shop so they can sell them again! I joke that I ve got my boyfriend here that s him over there, George! When I win on bingo we say that s another 20p put away for our wedding!

4 How the collection works Top tips for approaching customers As customers enter the store, approach them with a smile and one of your FareShare shopping lists Be prepared for some customers to be uninterested or too busy to engage with you. This is perfectly normal for such an event so don t take it personally just move on to the next customer. If customers are interested in finding out more about FareShare, send them to There is also more information about what we do on the back of the shopping list.

5 On the day - Arrive 10 minutes before your shift starts and introduce yourself at the Customer Service Desk. If you are volunteering at a smaller store, ask for the Deputy Manager instead. Don t worry if you are running late, just arrive as soon as you can. You may be asked to sign in with security. - Ask Tesco staff to show you where the facilities are and whether there is a place for you to store your coat. There are no locked storage facilities, so only bring essential items with you. Tesco can t accept responsibility for lost items. - Tesco staff will provide you with a Neighbourhood Food Collection tabard or a sash, as well as the FareShare Shopping List. Please leave the tabard/sash at the store at the end of your shift for the next volunteers. - Take a break when you need to - it s okay to leave the collection point unstaffed. - If your collection point is getting too full, let a member of staff know and they will take the donations away to be packaged up. - Feel free to leave as soon as your shift ends not every shift will have been filled so don t worry about handing over to another volunteer. - Wear whatever you will feel comfortable in. Remember, you will be on your feet so wear appropriate footwear! - Tesco is not profiting from this collection. They will top up customer donations by 20%, based on the estimated value and weight of the food donated. Share the collection cheer on the Twittersphere! Take photos throughout your shift and share on Twitter with the hash tag #everycanhelps

6 What should I do if...? Hopefully everything will be plain sailing on the day. However, we realise that with so many Tesco stores and volunteers, a few queries may arise. Below, we have tried to cover any you may come across during your shift. My store doesn t have any promotional materials These materials should have been delivered earlier in the week so in most cases, either the member of staff has not been briefed about the collection or the store may have misplaced their supply. In both cases, try to explain this and ask them to search their back of store and/or ask another member of staff. My store wasn t expecting me Again, each store will have received the list of volunteers arriving. If this happens, ask for the store s Community Champion or Deputy Store Manager. Please don t let this dampen your enthusiasm you may get off to a slower start, but once you are next to your collection point in a tabard or sash there will be no stopping you! There aren t any other volunteers Unfortunately, due to the scale of this event, it will not have been possible to guarantee that we have filled every single shift in each individual store. However, you will constantly be interacting with customers and the Tesco staff. If you really don t fancy volunteering by yourself, why not consider trying to recruit a friend to come along with you? Customers try to give me money A few customers will prefer to give you money instead of buying something themselves. This is absolutely fine you can accept their money using one of the Tesco donation buckets. This money will then be used by Tesco to buy food from the FareShare shopping list to add to the collection. Customers ask me a question I can t answer Please see the FAQs at the end of this document for information that may help you answer some of the trickier questions. If at any point you are unsure about anything, direct the customer to or ask them to fooddrive@fareshare.org.uk. I have to leave early If you have to leave your shift early, this is not a problem. Please note that the Tesco security staff may want you to sign out before leaving. Likewise, if you have signed up for one shift but would like to stay longer, you are very welcome to do so. I feel intimidated or threatened by a customer You are not required to deal with difficult customers. If you feel intimidated by a member of the public or threatened in any way, please remove yourself from the situation by seeking the assistance of the Tesco duty manager or security manager.

7 FAQs Q. What is FareShare? FareShare is a national charity that saves good food destined for waste and sends it to charities and community groups who transform it into nutritious meals for vulnerable people. The food we redistribute is fresh, quality and in-date surplus from the food industry. The charities we work with can be found across the UK and include homeless hostels, community cafes, domestic violence refuges and children s breakfast clubs and older people s lunch clubs. These organisations offer not only a nutritious meal but also invaluable support to people in need. Sourcing food from FareShare allows charities to save money, which can be reinvested into the support services they provide to help get people back on their feet. Q. Is this food going to local charities? The food collected for FareShare is redistributed through our 20 UK Regional Centres to charities working locally to support some of the most vulnerable people in society. All the food collected will be used within the UK. Q. If I m in need of food can I get it from FareShare? FareShare redistributes food to charities and community groups that prepare it onsite and serve it to their beneficiaries. We don t, however, redistribute food directly to individuals. Please contact your local Trussell Trust food bank, which provides emergency food parcels to people in need. Organisations in need of food can visit Q. Apart from the Neighbourhood Food Collection, how does Tesco support FareShare? Tesco diverts all surplus fresh food from its distribution centres and online grocery centres to FareShare, which so far has amounted to seven million meals each year. As well as diverting their fresh food, FareShare and Tesco work together to deliver FareShare FoodCloud, a scheme that links Tesco stores to local charities and community groups across the UK, working together to ensure that no good surplus food goes to waste. Tesco also has permanent collection points in over 600 of their stores, so customers can donate food to charity all year long. Q. Can I purchase any brand of the products you re asking for, such as Heinz Baked beans or Tesco branded beans? Yes. Any brand is fine, as long as the product is on the shopping list. Q. Can I help FareShare in other ways? You can donate money to FareShare at With every 1 donated, we can deliver enough food for four meals. Our Regional Centres often look for volunteers, especially drivers. If you are interested, find out more at For more volunteering opportunities, sign up to our newsletter at