Olswang's Peter Clyde was so moved by the news that British people were going hungry he decided to do something about it, launching an initiative to persuade big supermarkets to donate mountains of surplus food. He says his firm has been a model of flexibility in letting him work part time to pursue his project

Every week thousands of tonnes of food are thrown away by retailers in the UK. At the same time, many thousands of people cannot afford even basic groceries.

I became aware of the scale of the problem in late 2012, partly through a great documentary called Britain's Hidden Hungry. Although food banks around the country were taking non-perishable donations and redistributing them to those in need, I felt that a much better solution would be to take the mountains of surplus food sent every day to landfill sites or composted and redirect that as groceries to families in acute financial need.

In November, Olswang let me move to a part-time role as a construction litigation associate, which gave me the time to set up an initiative to address the problem.

Starting up

With one supplier (a local Sainsbury's store), a few like-minded people, £400 and little else, I conceived, branded and established an initiative called Food+. The idea was to assemble a team of volunteers, get more local supermarkets on board, and then partner with frontline charities, which could identify those most in need of food.

In December, with the help of 40 volunteers, I was proud to open Food+'s flagship branch to serve the Borough of Bromley. Food+ now collects surplus food from several large supermarkets and independent stores, with Lidl our most recent enthusiastic contributor. 

After lots of cold calling and many meetings, I have started to build a network of local charities, which work daily with those in financial need. Our charity partners, including social service providers Advocacy First and Bromley Children Project, identify those in financial need who could benefit from the service and refer them to Food+. Thanks to Food+ we are able to guarantee a minimum of three boxes of groceries and household items over three months, tailored to the needs of the individual or family.

We operate a four-hour turnaround from supermarket doors to the end recipient. This means we can provide not just non-perishables and household items, but an array of fresh baked bread, fruit and veg, meat and dairy products (all of which would otherwise go to landfill). 

I was keen to make sure Food+ provided a premium service, so all of our volunteers are trained in customer service and are food safety certified. I set out rigorous food safety standards; the teams operate out of commercial grade kitchens and Food+ only accepts food that is well within sell-by dates and properly sealed.

One of our aims is to motivate local businesses to support those in financial need, both through donating surplus food and through financial partnerships. A thriving local community has a responsibility to its most vulnerable members, and communities should unite to assist those in need.

Achievements

I have been overwhelmed in the first six months of Food+'s operation by the enthusiasm of businesses for our project and the willingness of charities to trust an untested initiative with their service users. We are very grateful for the support.

Our Bromley branch is now a partner with more than 20 businesses and an increasing number of charities and local authority departments.  

On four Saturdays in April we provided a full week's groceries to 72 clients.

I believe that everyone who comes through Food+'s doors deserves a first-rate service. Clients are greeted with tea, coffee and cake and invited to give feedback on our services. In April, 100% said they 'strongly agreed' that the team was friendly and helpful, that they were happy with the contents of the box and that they would recommend the service to others.

Olswang has also got behind the scheme. Food+ was awarded money from Olswang's newly established Green Seed Fund, designed to support local green initiatives. The funds will allow us to employ a part-time member of staff to help with fundraising efforts and cope with the increasing demand for our service.

I am grateful to Olswang for their flexibility in allowing me one day a week to focus on Food+. Law firms in general are playing catch-up with many other industries when it comes to flexible working and Olswang's modern approach is refreshing. The industry now appears to be grasping the idea that a fulfilled worker is a productive one. 

And where charity work is involved firms have the opportunity to reap the corporate responsibility rewards.

Applying legal skills

I spend a lot of my Food+ time searching for a 'way in' with big food distributors and frontline charities, then setting up an initial meeting at which to pitch our service. In a way, this involves the same skills as litigation work, presenting a proposal or position in the most persuasive way and understanding and addressing the concerns of the party across the table. My legal instincts also help when it comes to the management of risk, negotiating the terms of partnerships and understanding business models as we try to expand. It obviously also assists with writing policy documents and terms and conditions.

Another reason I love my work with Food+ is that it gives me an outlet for my more creative side: everything from dripping wax on champagne bottles for a black tie event to communicating my vision for the new website. And I get to employ some of my more colourful and diverse presentation skills, which have had to stay hidden since the time on my vacation scheme when my chosen topic for a presentation on 'law' was lessons learnt from the career of Lionel Hutz (the lawyer from The Simpsons).

Plans for growth

I believe Food+'s model is unique and greatly needed on a national scale. We are hatching plans for new branches, social enterprise initiatives and major new partnerships, as well as seeking advice from those who have succeeded in putting small charities on a path for ambitious and sustained growth. We are also working on ways to support our clients and partner charities beyond food, and are now able to provide furniture, decorating and DIY services too.

Ours is the only model I know that provides a scalable way of getting food and supplies from the doors of the supermarket to the home of those in financial need. Not only that, but businesses and organisations from across the community play a big part in making our core belief a reality – that no one need go hungry in the UK.

I have been able to partner with some great businesses in Bromley and the City of London. Their help and expertise has been and will continue to be invaluable in taking Food+ to the next stage. In return we have a great creative designer who can help showcase their involvement in our cause.

When I think of the scale of the task I can start to feel a little intimidated, but then I remember that the solution is already there.

Peter Clyde is an associate in Olswang's real estate team. Food+ is an initiative of Citygate Church, charity number: 1111470.