An initiative launched during the Covid-19 pandemic continues to support Surrey families during school holidays, helping ease the pressure of rising food costs.

St John’s Community Support began providing grocery parcels to local families in Guildford facing financial hardship when the pandemic hit. The project now focuses on supporting families, many of whom receive free school meals, during school holidays when parents must cover the additional cost of meals normally provided by schools.

Each week of the holidays, around 40 volunteers assemble food parcels containing fresh produce, store-cupboard staples such as pasta and tinned goods, and two frozen meals per week for every family member.

The project provides supplementary groceries to up to 100 families referred by local agencies and continues to encourage organisations to identify and refer those in need.

“Each time we have a drop coming up, we send them an email saying referrals are open,” said Helen Curran, co-founder of St John’s Community Support.

Unlike many foodbanks and community fridge schemes, St John’s delivers food directly to families’ homes using a fleet of volunteers’ vehicles equipped with freezer bags.

The organisation has also benefited from its partnership with FareShare Sussex & Surrey. Previously, volunteers spent considerable time visiting supermarkets to purchase essential items. Now, a single delivery from FareShare provides a wide range of food, including fresh produce, cupboard staples and other groceries.

“Getting it from one place makes a huge difference,” said Peter Curran, co-founder.

“We get so much for what we do, we are able to give out so much. We used to give two bags – that was it, except for some puddings. Now some of the families are getting three bags of stuff.”

The partnership also helps tackle food waste by ensuring good-quality surplus food is redistributed rather than sent to landfill.

FareShare Sussex & Surrey rescues surplus food from businesses, supermarkets, manufacturers and farms before redistributing it to charities and community organisations across the region.

During 2024/25, the charity saved and redistributed 2,651 tonnes of surplus food, providing the equivalent of 6.26 million meals to people facing hunger. It supported 28,525 people each week through a network of 248 charity and community partners, while helping those organisations save £16.5 million in food costs.

The charity also prevented 2,422 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions – comparable to around 2,400 return flights from London to New York – and was supported by 728 volunteers who donated nearly 33,000 hours of their time.

Every £1 invested in FareShare Sussex & Surrey generates £10.87 in social value.

To find out more about how FareShare Sussex & Surrey supports community groups such as St John’s Community Support, visit faresharesussexandsurrey.org.uk.