i(MP)ressed by The Big Difference

The Big Difference was visited by local MP Darren Paffrey!

Last week, we were visited by Southampton Itchen MP Darren Paffrey, who was impressed by our operations, efforts, and ambitions.

“Sanjay and his team of fantastic staff and volunteers are providing invaluable support, and it was impressive to see the sheer scale in terms of logistics, volume of food, and manpower that goes into getting this food to people who need it.”

During his visit, Darren visited our Northam Social Supermarket — the first of ours to open its doors in 2023 — and discussed what this service means for those in the community who need access to affordable food. Since 2021, The Big Difference has redistributed £8 million worth of food across Southampton and now works with as much as 80 tonnes of food per month.

That’s the weight of six double-decker buses! And it’s not where the sheer scale of our operations stops.

"I was particularly amazed to hear that the team had recently completed the impressive feat of redistributing a quarter of a million eggs in just under two weeks."

It’s running extra projects like this, alongside the daily operations of our Social Supermarkets, that demonstrates the dedication of our team to defeating food insecurity and creating a greener future.

But our willpower can only take us so far…

"While they are already living up to their name and making a big difference, it’s clear that Sanjay and his team want to do even more to cut down on the huge amounts of food that gets wasted in the city every year and help more people, and that they would welcome support from anyone who might be able to offer storage space and other logistics support.”

Check out more about what we do here.