DHL Supply Chain’s donation to Irish social enterprise FoodCloud will be used to fund the lease and maintenance of 11 vans and support the group as it tackles food waste and food insecurity.
FoodCloud works with a network of Irish charities, community groups and retailers to collect and redistribute surplus food. The vehicles, funded by the donation from DHL Supply Chain, are intended to improve the transportation capacity of FoodCloud, increasing its fleet from five vans to 11. The increased capacity will facilitate improved food redistribution for FoodCloud’s network of retailers, including Tesco, and will enable more food to be delivered to those in need.
The donation is part of a new three-year partnership between DHL and FoodCloud, which will also see the creation of volunteering and mentorship opportunities. DHL employees will be able to support FoodCloud’s vision for a world where no good food goes to waste by volunteering as drivers, helping to pack food in one of its three warehouses in Ireland or gleaning (picking surplus crops from fields). DHL Supply Chain will also offer mentoring to FoodCloud, providing expertise on route optimization, driver planning and emissions capture to enhance efficiency.
Anna Harris, sustainability manager of DHL Supply Chain Ireland, said, “We’re thrilled to announce our new three-year partnership with FoodCloud, supporting such an important social enterprise. The transport of surplus food is key to the FoodCloud offering and we are delighted to be able to aid this, contributing our expertise alongside the donation. By partnering with FoodCloud, we are working to tackle food waste and its social and environmental impacts while opening up exciting volunteering opportunities to our colleagues.”
Iseult Ward, CEO of FoodCloud, said, “We are delighted to be increasing our transport capabilities with the support of DHL, enabling us to redistribute surplus food with greater impact and efficiency. At a time when food prices are rising and people are increasingly feeling the strain of the cost of living, we are working to optimize our service. The specialist input provided by DHL is key to improving our logistics operations.”
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