Exclusive:Help The Big Food Project and The Gazette make sure no one on the Fylde coast goes hungry this Christmas
Backed by the Blackpool Gazette, The BIG FOOD Project has set a target to raise £25,000 in the next six weeks – a cash amount which equates to 50,000 meals for residents across the Fylde coast.
An ambitious campaign to fund thousands of meals across the Fylde coast this festive season has kicked off – and it needs your help.
Fylde’s BIG Festive Feed has been developed by The BIG FOOD Project, with the aim of ensuring no child, parent or adult in our community goes hungry this Christmas.
Backed by the Blackpool Gazette, the charity has set a target to raise £25,000 in the next six weeks – a cash amount which equates to 50,000 meals for residents across the Fylde coast.
Backed by the Blackpool Gazette, the charity has set a target to raise £25,000 in the next six weeks – a cash amount which equates to 50,000 meals for residents across the Fylde coast.
To pledge your donation and help to provide 50,000 meals for people across the Fylde coast this Christmas visit here.
And thanks to a partnership with the Aviva Communities Fund, every £1 donated to the Blackpool-based charity through the Crowdfunder will be doubled, meaning donations will go further than ever before.
Claire Powell, Chief Executive of The BIG FOOD Project, who oversees operations at the charity’s warehouse on Whitehills Business Park, said: “Our vision is simple. We don’t want anyone to go hungry this Christmas.
“It sounds simple, but making that happen is a major operation.
“That’s why we are launching Fylde’s BIG Festive Feed, to connect us with our communities and encourage residents to support us through the difficult winter months.”
The BIG FOOD project’s vans complete 15 collection routes every week, spanning Lytham to Fleetwood, rescuing surplus and donated food from supermarkets and other suppliers that might otherwise go to waste.
All the produce is then sorted by volunteers in the warehouse, chilled, stored and packed, ready to be distributed to smaller charities, hostels, via emergency food parcels and on the charity’s BIG FOOD Truck, which all locals can access by joining a membership scheme.
Claire said: “It’s a huge daily operation and whilst the majority of the food is free the cost of sourcing, collecting, sorting, storing and distributing does cost money, last year we spent over £10,000 in fuel alone.
“Keeping our vehicles on the road collecting and delivering food is vital every month, but even more so in the run-up to Christmas when we want to get good food to the residents who need it most – whether it’s helping them through crisis or supporting them to live sustainably by accessing The BIG FOOD Truck.
“This Christmas every £1 donated will help us distribute the equivalent of two meals, so it really is a case of every single pound making a difference.
“We are so grateful to the Aviva Communities Fund for choosing to back our project, it really does present us with an amazing opportunity to raise significant funds for our work.”
The Gazette is backing The BIG FOOD Project’s campaign and will highlight the stories of those who rely on the charity over the coming weeks.
Vanessa Sims, Editor of The Gazette said: “When I heard about the ambitious campaign at The BIG FOOD Project and realised the difference 50,000 meals could make to those struggling across the Fylde coast this Christmas, I knew we had to do our bit to help raise awareness of what this fantastic charity is trying to achieve.
“No child, parent or adult in our community should have to go hungry this Christmas.
“If we all donate less than the cost of chocolate bar we can collectively make sure that doesn’t happen.
“I urge everyone to spare just two minutes to pledge a small amount which make such a huge difference.”
Claire said: "It's amazing to have The Gazette on board with Fylde's BIG Festive Feed, partnerships are central to our organisation and we can't think of a better way to share our campaign than partnering with our local paper.
"The support of Gazette readers really will help us make a difference this Christmas."
To pledge your donation and help to provide 50,000 meals for people across the Fylde coast this Christmas visit here.
What is The Big Food Project?
The BIG FOOD Project is a Blackpool-based charity whose purpose is to relieve poverty and financial hardship and promote good health through the provision of food, goods and services.
Their 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 their warehouse on Whitehills Business Park, 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.
The BIG FOOD Project 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
The BIG FOOD Project 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, they:
- 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.
The BIG FOOD Project 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.
The BIG FOOD Project 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, The BIG FOOD Project 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.