Trade tinned food for FREE beers – and help local food banks in the process

Camden Hells brewery will be in MediaCityUK trading free beers for tinned food tomorrow, Wednesday 25th September, for one day only.

They’ll be pitching up between 12pm and 3pm, swapping free cans of their new autumnal seasonal beer, Harvest Hells lager, for dried and tinned foods that will then go to local food banks.

The can-for-can initiative has been set up in partnership with UK food charity The Felix Project, a London-based charity that works to raise awareness of those experiencing food poverty in the UK. It hopes to raise awareness surrounding the UK’s rising food poverty crisis.

The charity works to rescue high-quality and nutritious food that cannot be sold and would otherwise go to waste.

They collect or receive food from 165 suppliers, including supermarkets, wholesalers, farms, restaurants and delis then sort and then deliver it charities who then cook meals and prepare food parcels for vulnerable people and to primary schools to distribute to children and their families.

As part of the partnership, Camden brewery is also donating 20p from every can of Harvest Hells Lager sold to support The Felix Project’s work going forward.

“Food poverty in the UK is a growing problem, with many people struggling to afford fresh and healthy food for themselves and their families,” said Mark Curtin, CEO of The Felix Project

“We are delighted that Camden is not only helping to raise awareness of these crucial issues and the work we do at The Felix Project to tackle them, but also getting people involved in supporting the cause to help to reduce waste and eradicate food insecurity.”

More than eight million people in the UK struggle to afford to eat every day, while our food industry generates 100,000 tonnes of edible food waste a year.

When food is wasted, all the energy and water it takes to grow, harvest, transport, and package it is wasted too – which also makes food waste reduction a critical part of the fight against climate change.

Heartbreakingly, food bank use by schoolchildren has surged by a fifth in just a year and one in ten parents now seek our charities and food banks in order to put food on the table.

Last year over 58,000 emergency parcels were distributed across the region to desperate families.

And there are currently more than 150 food banks across Greater Manchester, all of which rely on donations in order to keep their shelves stocked with supplies.

Salford foodbanks have been hit particularly hard this year by an increase in people needing emergency food, matched with a lack of money this year, so any non-perishable donations are sure to be welcomed by the local community.

Any sort of tinned food will be accepted, and you can also check what items your local foodbank needs the most here. And if you would like to do more, you can also access a full list of Greater Manchester foodbanks here.

Camden Hells brewery will be in MediaCityUK trading free beers for tinned food on Wednesday 25th September between 12pm and 3pm.