Resource Use

Malta’s president visiting UK Food Bank

This Friday (19 September), the President of Malta will be visiting food redistribution charity FareShare UK in London, ahead of Malta’s first food bank opening.

FareShare is a charity that redistributes surplus food to around 1,290 UK charities and community organisations, with the aim of tackling food poverty and food waste. The charity is a member of the European Federation of Food Banks (FEBA), which includes 256 food banks in 21 countries.

FEBA is offering support to the Malta Food Bank Foundation, which plans to open the country’s first food bank to fight food poverty in the coming months.

The President, Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca, will tour FareShare UK’s central depot in London to see volunteers prepare food orders for charities, and find out how FareShare UK gained support from the UK food industry.

“We are moving from rhetoric to action”

Preca said: “I have made a commitment to lead the fight against poverty and social exclusion in Malta. My support and involvement in the Malta Food Bank shows that we are moving from rhetoric to action, to truly make a difference in people’s lives.”

She added: “The Food Bank is just one of several initiatives currently being undertaken.”

“Both countries can learn from each other”
Lindsay Boswell, CEO of FareShare

Lindsay Boswell, CEO of FareShare, said: “We’re very please and honoured to show H.E. Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca, the successful FareShare model and our social impact. Both countries can learn from each other and it is also very inspiring to meet H.E. who is personally supporting an important social project to help people in poverty.”

Irene Schembri, Chairperson of Malta Food Bank Foundation, said: “H.E. Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca is very enthusiastic about the project of creating a food bank in Malta, and will assist the foundation in the process to set it up from helping us to secure warehouse premises, to lending her support at meetings with Malta’s food chain industries to gain the support of key partners such as food importers and producers.”

Read more about surplus food redistribution.