Electric vehicles delivered food to people living in poverty in Sussex and Surrey
More than 40 tonnes of food was delivered to families living in poverty over the Christmas period, across Sussex and Surrey, thanks to a community benefit fund.
Thanks to electric vehicles – funded by the Rampion Community Benefit Fund – FareShare Sussex & Surrey was able to redistribute 41.9 tonnes of food over the Christmas fortnight.
This was enough to make 99,750 meals and feed 14,720 people living in food poverty each week.
Mark Richardson, fundraising manager at FareShare Sussex & Surrey, said: “The e-vehicles, including an electric van and an electric cargo bike, have made an incredible difference to our operational ability, and soon we will be installing solar panels, also with a Rampion fund grant, to help power them.
"Driven by 172 volunteers – the lifeblood of our charity – we receive, sort and deliver good food from the food supply industries that would otherwise be wasted, to feed hungry, vulnerable people across Sussex and Surrey, and we are proud to be using sustainable vehicles to do it.”
Run by Sussex Community Foundation, the Rampion Community Benefit Fund has – over the past eight years – provided £2.1 million in grants and supported over 200 Sussex community projects.
‘More than a million local people’ in Sussex have benefited from the fund which covers projects in the region from Littlehampton Harbour in the west to Beachy Head in the east and up to the A272 near Twineham in the north.
Katie Scanlan, Rampion stakeholder and visitor centre manager, said: “We are delighted to have supported such impactful and important projects in Sussex and that so many of them have been able to reduce their carbon footprint as a result.
"And don’t forget that part of what we give back to the local community is our Rampion Visitor Centre, a free resource and attraction on Brighton Seafront, so we encourage people to drop in this year, if they haven’t visited us before.”
The Rampion Community Benefit Fund 2025 opens in March, inviting applications until early May – with ‘around £160,000’ available for charities, community groups and not-for-profit organisations to fund projects benefiting local communities and supporting the environment.
For more information about the fund and how to apply, visit: https://sussexcommunityfoundation.org/grants/how-to-apply/additional-grants/rampion-community-benefit-fund/