Baking a difference for FareShare

Baking for #currysbakesale & FareShare

Everybody loves a gooey, fudgy brownie. When I was approached about participating in the #currysbakesale, I knew I wanted to make treats that everyone would enjoy. It was important to me that they were gluten free as well. The aspect I enjoyed most about this campaign, was learning more about my chosen charity, FareShare.

The amazing and inspiring people at FareShare do things differently and it was their differences that stood out to me. For this campaign, Currys supplied me and four other UK-based bloggers with our choice of amazing quality equipment from Kenwood. I chose the Kenwood Chef Classic mixer and used it in making these brownies. But before I get to the recipe, let me tell you more about my chosen charity.

I'm a big believer that charity should start at home. How an organization looks after the people on its doorstep should be regarded as a litmus test for how that organization treats everyone else. What drew me to FareShare is their dedication and commitment to providing for the individuals living in poverty in their own neighborhoods.

There are FareShare centers dotted all over the United Kingdom, including my local branch in Manchester. I'm certain that the support I've been able to provide them with is going to go to the people in Manchester who are living in poverty. It means a lot to me to support the people I see each week, even if it is indirectly. Just £1 is enough to help deliver food for 4 meals.

FareShare's motto is "Fighting hunger,tackling food waste". They do more than just feed the hungry, they also ensure that food that perfectly good, edible food that would have been wasted, gets redirected and given to those who need it the most. In a society where we flippantly toss half eaten sandwiches or burgers into the bin after a bite or two, FareShare actively seeks to put a halt to these wasteful practices and to remind people of what's important: doing what we can with what we have and making it go as far as possible.

FareShare's impact is impressive:

• in excess of 1200 charities benefit from FareShare's food
• more than 62,000 people benefit from FareShare's food every day
• FareShare's redistributed food made over 12 million meals in 2013/2014
• FareShare also helped businesses reduce their CO2 emissions by 19,500 tonnes

 At the heart of FareShare is a desire to fight hunger and poverty by redirecting surplus food and giving it to the people who need it the most. If you're sick of seeing food waste in your own kitchen or business, I urge you to get in contact with FareShare and arrange a food donation. FareShare will work with you to arrange a time to collect any food you have that is fit for human consumption and within shelf-life and is suitably packaged. Alternatively, you could make a cash donation as I have done and rest assured that your money will go to eliminate food waste while providing a meal for those who need it. 

With having a 2 1/2 year old to take care of during the week, I couldn't commit to organizing a traditional bake sale at an external location. And since I work from home, I don't have any colleagues to  help me raise funds. Instead, I baked trays of gluten free brownies, cut them into squares and dusted them with chocolate and headed out to my husband's office to set up shop one afternoon with my brownies. He had been kind enough to email his team and colleagues about the brownies and everyone came to work on the day of my sale, ready to do their bit in raising funds for FareShare.

I'd like to say a very big thank you first off to Currys for providing me with the opportunity to work with a charity I've been impressed with and longing to support for years. Thank you to FareShare for you hard work and dedication and for making it easy for those of who want to make a difference, to make a difference. Last, but certainly not least, a very big thank you to everyone who swapped me pennies for brownies and supported my efforts to raise money for a cause that is dear to my heart. I wouldn't have been able to do it without your support.

I used my Two Layer Gluten Free Double Nutella Brownies recipe to make the cakes for the bake sale. Make them for yourself and your friends and family this week and donate the proceeds to a charity of your choice. Let's pay it forward and make a difference in the lives of people who truly need it.