Tag Archive for: surplus food

An end of year message from our CEO

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As 2025 draws to a close, I’d like to take this opportunity to give you, our valued supporters, a Winter update from myself and the team at Oxford Food Hub. 

This year, we’ve saved record amounts of surplus food and supported more communities across our county than we’ve ever managed to before. But the need is still growing, and there’s lots more work to do…

2025 project update 

It’s always great to reflect on the year we’ve had. Back in the Summer, our wonderful team of volunteers went ‘On Tour’, attended six music festivals and rescued 5.8 tonnes of surplus food that would have traditionally gone to waste! An effort I’m extremely proud of, and a big thank you to our 100+ volunteers who made this such a success.

2025 also saw the launch of our incredibly successful ‘full circle’ pilot OxPlenty – a project in partnership with local farmers rescuing seasonal surplus produce (apples and pumpkins). The ‘waste’ produce was harvested, gleaned and transformed into 209 bottles of apple juice and 425 sachets of pumpkin puree to be distributed to our network of charities and organisations. I have to say, the apple juice was delicious! Great work team.

We also won double at the Oxford Climate Awards hosted by Oxford City Council and the Oxford Mail – an ongoing  commitment to operating sustainably across Oxfordshire. 

Click the link here to read about the award

It’s also the year that we established permanent distribution channels for our Household Essentials items. Products from deodorants to decorations are now making their way around Oxfordshire via our wonderful volunteers – and we will be further improving this offer for charity partners as we move into the new year. Watch this space…

Most recently, we’ve just launched our Corporate Partnership Scheme – and secured our first partner with PQShield. As well as supporting us financially each month, 20 of their team volunteered at the Hub in December to help wrap and pack festive gifts for our wonderful charity partners. 

Read our blog to find out more about this exciting collaboration here.

Looking ahead

As we look ahead, we can only see the need for free, surplus food growing and there are vulnerable communities that we currently aren’t able to reach. We’d love you to stay with us on this journey, whether it’s giving a little time, sharing our message, financial support or helping rescue more good food from going to waste – your support makes all the difference. Together, we can rescue more food, and support more vulnerable people next year. Let’s keep good food moving to where it’s needed most.

I’d like to personally wish you all a very peaceful December and I look forward to sharing updates with you all in the New Year.

Thank you for your continued support.

CEO Steve Hamon and the Oxford Food Hub team

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Oxford Food Hub launches Corporate Partnership Scheme – welcoming PQShield as first partner

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We are delighted to announce the launch of our new Corporate Partnership scheme, an initiative designed to forge strategic, long-term collaborations with Oxfordshire-based businesses that share a commitment to community support, environmental responsibility, and social impact. 

The scheme’s first official partner is PQShield, a leading Oxford-based technology company, marking an important milestone for the Hub and the wider Oxfordshire community.

By becoming a corporate partner, businesses can play a critical role in ensuring the long-term sustainability of our operations, allowing us to continue rescuing surplus food and redistributing it at no cost to over 240 local charities, community groups, and organisations in need. 

The Corporate Partnership initiative offers a flexible framework for businesses to contribute in a variety of meaningful ways, including financial support, in-kind contributions, volunteer time, or other forms of partnership – ensuring that local organisations receive the surplus food and household essentials they need. 

Steve Hamon, CEO at Oxford Food Hub, said: “We are very proud to launch our Corporate Partnership Scheme and to welcome PQShield as our first partner. This scheme is central to ensuring we can continue supplying fresh, surplus food to charities and community groups across Oxfordshire in a sustainable way. We believe that by working more closely with local businesses such as PQShield, we can strengthen community support networks and safeguard the future of food redistribution in the region. I’m very much looking forward to seeing what 2026 has in store for this exciting venture.”

PQShield, headquartered in Oxford and known for its innovative work in cybersecurity, has joined the scheme as part of its broader commitment to corporate social responsibility and community engagement. As an official partner, PQShield will help to secure the future of the Hub’s services, allowing more surplus food to be distributed to those who need it – from homeless shelters and charities to community cafés, schools, and grassroots organisations.

Elvira Carasol, Business Support Executive at PQShield said: “We are honoured to partner with Oxford Food Hub. As a company rooted in Oxford, we recognise how vital it is to support the communities around us and educate our staff about the work Oxford Food Hub does too. This partnership allows us to directly contribute to reducing food waste across Oxfordshire – an issue that affects many people in our local area. We hope our involvement will encourage other local businesses to engage too.”

Our Corporate Partnership Scheme comes at a critical time for us. With increasing demand for food redistribution services across Oxfordshire, the organisation’s new partnership model offers a way for businesses to play a proactive role – helping to preserve resources, reduce waste, and support vulnerable communities through regular financial donations and volunteer support. 

We invite other Oxfordshire-based companies to join the scheme and make a tangible, lasting difference.

For more information or to express interest in becoming a corporate partner, please contact: admin@oxfordfoodhub.org.

Oxford 2025 Climate Awards winner

Oxford Food Hub wins double at Oxford Climate Awards 2025

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We were absolutely delighted to be awarded Small Business of the Year and Overall Winner at the Oxford Climate Awards 2025 in the historic Oxford Town Hall on 17th September. 

The awards, organised by the Oxford Mail in conjunction with Oxford City Council, aims to honour exemplary efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, protect natural ecosystems and promote sustainable practices across the county.

Spencer Lawes, Food Sourcing Manager at Oxford Food Hub, said: “We are absolutely delighted and humbled to receive not just one, but two awards at the Oxford Climate Awards. We’re also thrilled for the 100 volunteers who give their time so generously to the charity. It was great to see so many well-deserving individuals and organisations come together with climate action at the heart of the event.”

“These awards recognise the work we do every day – rescuing surplus food and sharing it with over 230 community organisations across Oxfordshire and we’d like to extend a huge thanks to our volunteers, partners, donors and supporters for all their efforts in 2025 and beyond.”

The Small Business of the Year award recognises small businesses with fewer than 10 employees in Oxfordshire that demonstrate exceptional commitment to environmental responsibility, energy efficiency, waste reduction and sustainable practices. 

The Overall Winner award was a surprise category, but was given to the business that demonstrated the greatest measurable impact across all award categories.

To win the awards, we had to demonstrate measurable results in reducing carbon footprint, promoting eco-friendly operations and contributing positively to the local community’s sustainability goals.

The awards have also highlighted that climate change is no longer a distant threat, but a pressing reality affecting lives and livelihoods. These awards serve as a powerful reminder that each one of us can make a positive impact on our environment.

To support our mission to rescue surplus food and reduce carbon emissions, click here to donate.

Oxford Food Hub has hit new food waste milestone

Oxford Food Hub surpasses food waste milestone

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We’ve reached a significant milestone this month at Oxford Food Hub. Ahead of the end of the financial year 2024/25, we have surpassed the total of food waste rescued from landfill and distributed to our partners in comparison to last year.

In the financial year 2023-2024, we rescued 398 tonnes of food – meanwhile in the last 9 months, we’ve already surpassed last year’s figure, with 460 tonnes of food collected from food partners distributed to our network of charities and community organisations. 

In July 2025, we received almost 58 tonnes of surplus food, (more than any other month since we started accurately weighing in April 2024), and more than 60% of this food consisted of fresh fruit and vegetables.

What does this mean?

This poses a two-fold challenge and opportunity for Oxford Food Hub. Our volunteers and Operations team have worked hard to rescue and redistribute huge amounts of good quality food to those who need it. However, this figure could demonstrate that our work to reduce food waste isn’t having the desired impact yet. 

However, demand for our service feels higher than ever, with 230* groups now receiving food from us (*this figure is up from 200 in the last financial year).

Where does the food come from and go to?

Our dedicated group of 100+ volunteers rescue surplus food from wholesalers, supermarkets and other organisations and distribute this food to over 230 charities and community organisations. Everyone wins – we reduce food waste going to landfill and provide tasty fresh produce to those in need in Oxfordshire. 

We do not charge charities or suppliers for our work and are supported entirely by our donors.

Take a look at our recent video explaining how food is distributed

Support our mission

Every year in the UK, unused food that ends up in landfills releases around 13 million tonnes of harmful greenhouse gases. This highlights just how important it is for all of us to reduce food waste and protect the environment for future generations.* Support us as we redistribute food that would otherwise be thrown away to over 230 charities serving 9 different impact areas. 

Click here to donate and turn surplus into support.