SU generates 5,000 meals for needy

It’s been revealed that the Students’ Union (SU) has generated over 5,000 meals by partnering with the Foodinate scheme.

The news comes as Foodinate announced they had delivered their 100,000th meal to someone in need since 2016.

The 5,047 meals generated by the SU have come from 532 Bar and Kitchen – formerly known as the Union Bar – putting it 4th on the Foodinate leaderboard for number of dishes served.

Foodinate began in 2016 with founder Caroline Stevenson going on to generate the scheme’s 10,000 meal in January 2018. Since then, the meal-for-meal initiative has seen exponential growth. Foodinate is now having an impact in 12 deprived communities across the UK. Now, they are launching their “Business Champions Club” membership packages in the hopes of fundraising an additional £100,000 to expand resources and supercharge their impact to the next level.

Stevenson said she began the initiative after seeing many people struggling to afford a meal in Manchester.

On the news of Foodinate’s 100,000th meal, she said: “I’m so proud of the team and will be forever grateful to our dedicated partners for believing in this idea and making it happen with us.

“Unfortunately, with more than 13 million people in the UK living below the poverty line, our work has only just begun, and we have huge plans to take our impact to new heights.”

Another notable participant in the scheme is ex-Manchester United footballer and co-owner of GG Hospitality Gary Neville, which means every person attending a private event at any of CG’s venues, including Hotel Football and Manchester Cathedral, results in a meal for a person in need in the local community through Foodinate.

Neville added: “When we heard about the Foodinate scheme, we knew it was something we wanted our events and catering company to be involved with.

“Homelessness is a serious problem, so for our clients booking events through us to know they are making a positive difference in the city at the same time as holding their event, it’s a very special thing.”