Communities Fund provided £985 of match funding
Fylde's BIG Festive Feed 2026
Blackpool, England, United Kingdom
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Aim
Fylde's Big Festive Feed has one simple aim: Raise £25,000 - provide 50,000 meals across the Fylde Coast this Christmas.
Help us turn surplus food into hope this Christmas
Help us provide 50,000 meals
Our vision is simple: no child, parent or adult in our community should go hungry—especially at Christmas.
Across Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre, many people are struggling to afford food, heating and other essential bills. At the same time, tonnes of perfectly edible food are at risk of being thrown away.
The BIG FOOD Project brings these challenges together. We rescue surplus food, reduce waste and help local people access food they can afford. This Christmas, we want to raise £25,000 to provide the equivalent of 50,000 meals.
Who are we?
The BIG FOOD Project is a local charity whose purpose is to relieve poverty and financial hardship and promote good health through the provision of food, goods and services.
Our vans collect edible surplus food from more than 80 supermarkets, manufacturers and other suppliers. This food may be available because of overproduction, a short shelf life, packaging changes or cosmetic imperfections—but it is still perfectly good to eat.
At our warehouse, every item is checked, sorted and stored safely before being redistributed through more than 125 schools, food banks, community hubs, shelters and other services.
Helping people feel more secure and in control
When money is tight, food is often the expense that people have to cut back on in order to pay their fixed rent/mortgage and household bills.
We operate five weekly BIG FOOD Truck affordable food clubs across the Fylde Coast, currently supporting around 250 households every week. Members can choose from fresh produce, bakery products and cupboard essentials at an affordable price.
Reducing the amount people need to spend on food helps limited household budgets go further, leaving more money available for heating, electricity, housing, travel and other necessities. Regular access to affordable food can also prevent a difficult financial period from developing into a crisis.
Good food should feed people—not landfill
Our work also meets Aviva’s Climate Action priority because preventing food waste is central to our model.
Producing food requires land, water, energy, labour, packaging and fuel. When edible food is discarded, all those valuable resources are wasted too. By rescuing surplus food and redistributing it locally, we reduce waste, prevent avoidable carbon emissions and help create a more sustainable local food system.
In 2025, we:
- Rescued 503 tonnes of food
- Provided the equivalent of almost 898,000 meals
- Prevented an estimated 716 tonnes of CO₂e emissions
- Supported 125 community organisations
- Provided enough food for more than 80,000 meals for children through 14 local schools
- Benefited from 20,841 hours of volunteer support
Every tray, box and pallet rescued represents more than food. It means that the water, land, energy and transport used to produce it have not been wasted—and that something valuable has reached someone who needs it.
Our work creates a double benefit: it reduces the environmental impact of food waste while helping people experiencing financial hardship make limited household budgets go further.
Our impact goes beyond food
Not every item we receive can be redistributed to people, but we work hard to ensure that as little as possible is wasted.
During 2025, we provided more than 2.7 tonnes of fruit and vegetables that were no longer suitable for human consumption to Blackpool Zoo—roughly the weight of an adult hippopotamus. The produce added variety to the animals’ diets instead of being discarded.
Why are we crowdfunding?
Rescuing surplus food may sound simple, but making it happen safely and reliably is a major operation.
Our vans complete 15 collection routes every morning, five days a week, travelling around 27,700 miles each year. At our warehouse, staff and volunteers receive, check, sort, store and redistribute around 10 tonnes of food every week.
This work has significant costs. We must fuel, insure and maintain our vehicles; pay for our warehouse, refrigeration and electricity; purchase essential food when donated supplies are insufficient; provide food-safety equipment; and coordinate hundreds of collections, deliveries and volunteer hours.
We are crowdfunding to keep this vital operation running through Christmas and the difficult winter months. With your help, we can provide 50,000 meals, rescue more good food before it becomes waste and help local households manage at a financially demanding time of year.
Your donation will create a double impact: helping people feel more financially secure while protecting valuable food and resources from being wasted.
A place to belong and contribute
The BIG FOOD Project is also a community in its own right. Volunteering offers routine, friendship, confidence and the opportunity to make a meaningful contribution.
One volunteer joined us after a difficult period in their life. Being part of the team gave them structure, connection and a renewed sense of purpose:
“Everyone here is welcoming and supportive. It feels like being part of something that really matters.”
Another person initially came to us through a probation placement after experiencing isolation and poor mental health. They chose to continue volunteering after completing their required hours:
“I hadn’t left the house for months and my mental health was really bad before I started at the BIG FOOD Project. Since I have been here, I have felt like part of a team… I feel happy again and much more confident.”
These stories remind us that the food we rescue creates value at every stage—not only for those receiving it, but also for the people who give their time to make our work possible.
How we’ll spend the money raised
Every donation will help fund the journey surplus food makes—from collection and safe storage to reaching a local person or family.
Your support could help us provide:
- £1 – two meals
- £5 – food for a family for two days
- £20 – food for one person for a week
- £40 – food for a family for a week
The money raised will contribute towards:
- Fuel, insurance and maintenance for our food-collection vehicles
- Warehouse, refrigeration and energy costs
- Collecting, storing and redistributing surplus food
- BIG FOOD Truck food and operating costs
- Staff support to coordinate collections, deliveries and volunteers
- Essential food-handling, storage and safety equipment
These are the practical costs behind every food collection, emergency parcel, partner delivery and BIG FOOD Truck session.
How you can help
1. Make a donation
Every pledge—whatever its size—will take us closer to our goal. Early donations are especially valuable because they build momentum and inspire others to get involved. Eligible donations may also be matched by Aviva, making your support go even further.
2. Spread the word
Please share our campaign with friends, family, colleagues and your wider networks. You could also ask your workplace, school, community group or local business to support or share it. The more people we reach, the more good food we can save.
3. Volunteer with us
Our volunteers are at the heart of the BIG FOOD Project. If you can offer your time, skills or expertise, please contact us through the Contact section of our project page using the subject “I want to volunteer my time or expertise.”
Be part of something that matters
This is not the work of one organisation alone. It is a collective community effort involving food suppliers, volunteers, schools, charities, local businesses and individual supporters.
Every donation, every volunteer shift, every food collection and every campaign share helps.
Together, we can stop good food from becoming waste, reduce carbon emissions and move closer to a Fylde Coast where no child, parent or adult has to go hungry—at Christmas or at any other time of year.
Funding method
Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made by 21st December 2026 at 11:37am