With over 150 staff signed up, they undertook litter picks, a beach clean, volunteered at local schools and with the elderly, as well as helping out at foodbanks.
Bidfood’s own brand also partnered with food waste charity, FareShare, in seven of its depots, where employees helped drivers with deliveries, sorting products, organising the depot and picking food orders to “aid the process and help even more people in need.”
It also saw staff volunteer at a local Slough community group for over 60 year-olds, ‘Recycled Teenagers’ donating, preparing and serving lunch with food and drink from Bidfood’s own range.
Chief operating officer Norman Wemyss said: “We are consistently working on ways to continue to give our national company a truly local feel, which is why giving back to each of our sites’ local communities is so important.
“Our depots take part in worthy local causes throughout the year, and we are delighted to be running a campaign in line with Volunteers’ Week encouraging all of our teams across the UK to reach out to local businesses, charities and councils to spend a few hours offering a helping hand.
“This is a fantastic initiative and it’s great to see our employees embedding themselves within their community.”
Lindsay Boswell, FareShare chief executive, added: “Thank you to every Bidfood employee who volunteered their time at our regional centres across the UK this Volunteers Week.
“Volunteers are the lifeblood of FareShare and make it possible for us to get good food out to charities supporting people in need.
“It’s always an eye-opening and rewarding experience to be a part of redistributing surplus food on the ground and we hope it has brought our partnership with Bidfood to life for their colleagues.”
Following the initiative’s success, Bidfood said “many employees are keen to take part in volunteering activities in the future.”