Sir Peter Rigby, owner of the Eden Hotel Collection, has donated £2m to launch a new food redistribution hub in Birmingham following a call from the King for businesses to help tackle food waste and food poverty.
The Sir Peter Rigby Coronation Food Hub has opened at Gravelly Park and will be operated by FareShare Midlands.
The charity said the facility will enable it to redistribute up to seven million meals a year across the West Midlands using surplus food sourced from farms, manufacturers and retailers.
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The donation was made through the Sir Peter Rigby Charitable Trust. FareShare Midlands said the new hub will double its food redistribution capacity in the region, handling about 3,000 tonnes of surplus food annually.
In addition to food redistribution, the hub will provide training in warehousing, catering and technology, with the aim of supporting around 500 people a year into sustainable employment.
FareShare Midlands currently supplies surplus food to about 650 charities, community groups and schools across the region, helping to feed around 60,000 people each week.
The initiative follows a call from the King for businesses to help address the estimated 10 billion meals’ worth of edible food wasted each year in the UK.
Sir Peter Rigby said: “I have always believed that success in business should go hand in hand with giving back. I came from a humble background, and I am very aware that not everyone is fortunate enough to have a good start in life.
“Never before has it been as tough to feed families as it is now due to the cost-of-living crisis. I am honoured to be part of the King’s fantastic initiative that will directly support my local community and reduce food poverty across the region.”
Stu Deeley, executive head chef at the Eden Hotel Collection and winner of MasterChef, added: “Healthy, nutritious meals don’t have to cost the earth or lots of time, and this new hub has a crucial role to play in not only providing access to food, but educating the community on how to create low cost, high nutrition meals – and this is something I am looking forward to supporting them on in the future.”
