Food trucks across the country have come together to raise the equivalent of 2,500 meals¹ for those who need them as part of a national charity campaign with Galloway Cheddar and FareShare.
Over the summer, established food trucks in city centres and rural Scotland took part in the ‘Galloway Gathering Project’ to help tackle food poverty and social isolation. They used supplied Galloway Cheddar in their cheesy dishes and asked customers to ‘pay-it-forward’ to the cause—raising £500 in donations and adding to the £18,000 already donated by the brand earlier this year.
The Galloway Gathering Project is a nationwide campaign that brings together Scottish cheese brand Galloway Cheddar and FareShare, the UK’s largest charity dedicated to tackling the environmental problem of food waste for social good – with over 14.4 million people in the UK living in relative poverty in 2023.
Food trucks, including The Angry Seagull in Inverness, Polly’s Coffee Stop in Cairnbaan, Spruce and Stag in Moray and Wanderers Kneaded in Edinburgh, took part in a collective 10-day takeover day to raise awareness and funds for the cause.
The cheddar brand also teamed up with MasterChef winner and National Chef of Scotland Gary Maclean to host two events at FareShare’s regional partner sites in Edinburgh and Glasgow, where Gary made Mac n’ Cheese for attendees as they were given the opportunity to socialise with their community.
Heloise Le Norcy-Trott, Marketing Director at Lactalis UK & Ireland said, “At Galloway Cheese, we’ve been very lucky to have partners like the food trucks, Gary Maclean and FareShare who all truly care about the cause, meaning we’ve all been pushing in one direction to raise awareness and funds to help to tackle food poverty and social isolation.”
The Gathering Project aims to connect with people throughout Scotland’s villages, towns and cities to raise awareness of food insecurity and loneliness. Galloway Cheddar also donated the equivalent of 90,000 meals² and 800 kg of cheese to those in need as part of the summer campaign.
Kirsty Ford, Head of Fundraising at FareShare, said, “We are so grateful to Galloway Cheddar for their continued support for FareShare and to all the food trucks across Scotland that have taken part in the campaign this summer. These invaluable donations help us get good-to-eat food to the people who need it rather than going to waste. Every day, the food we redistribute to a network of over 8,000 charities across the UK helps to strengthen communities and support organisations working harder than ever to provide people with a hand up, not a handout.
Galloway Cheddar’s generous support for FareShare is instrumental in helping people affected by the cost of living crisis. This support means charities can unite more people through food to form connections and access essential support services. Thank you for helping FareShare make the food go further.”
Since its founding in 1959, Galloway Cheddar has been at the heart of Scottish family gatherings. To help Scottish communities that need help most, Galloway Cheddar set up the Galloway Gathering Project, which delivers community events and allows people to donate to the cause.
¹2500 meals is the equivalent of £500 raised/donated.
²This year, Lactalis has given FareShare UK £18,000 + VAT as part of this promotional venture. This equates to 90,000 meals. *20p funds the redistribution of the equivalent of one meal, as calculated based on WRAP’s guidance of one meal weighing 420g.