Volunteering in Action: Mike’s Experience at The Bread and Butter Thing

• by Olivia Lawlor-Blackburn
• General

Over the 2025 festive period, our CEO, Mike Gillespie, spent his Christmas and New Year a little differently. After several years of hoping to volunteer over the holidays – but never quite managing due to work and life commitments – this year presented the perfect opportunity. And Mike grabbed it.

His chosen charity was The Bread and Butter Thing, a UK organisation that makes life easier for people struggling to afford food. Through a growing network of community‑powered food clubs, they partner with retailers, farmers, and manufacturers to rescue surplus food and redistribute it locally. Their model provides affordable, nutritious food without referrals or stigma, helping families who are often just about getting by to stretch their budgets, eat better, and feel more connected to their communities. Volunteers are the heart of the charity – running warehouses, creating welcoming spaces, and building trusted relationships that transform food support into something dignified, human, and rooted in community.

For Mike, this was a perfect fit. He has long been passionate about reducing food waste, fuelled by a genuine interest in food and cooking. What particularly struck him about The Bread and Butter Thing was how much good food – perfectly edible, but perhaps “too knobbly,” “too wonky,” or too close to its use-by date – would otherwise be destined for landfill.

Volunteering over the festive period is traditionally challenging for the charity, as many people understandably focus on family and holiday commitments. So when Mike learned they needed extra hands in the warehouse, he reached out to Beth from the team and committed to several shifts.

He joined the warehouse crew in the busy run‑up to Christmas on 22nd, 23rd and 24th December, and then returned during the quieter, often under‑supported period between Christmas and New Year on 29th, 30th and 31st December – finishing with one final shift on 2nd January.

The work was physical, fast‑paced, and eye‑opening. Every morning, vans needed loading with bulk pallets and individual bags of food before heading out to community hubs across the region. The team worked at speed to ensure everything went out on time, often racing against the clock to prevent food from going to waste.

But there was a harsh reality too. Food arriving on a Friday that was due to expire over the weekend couldn’t be used – because the charity does not operate on weekends. Perfectly fresh, perfectly edible food sometimes had to be thrown away, simply because it couldn’t be redistributed in time. For Mike, this was “distressing and frustrating,” reinforcing the importance of the charity’s work – and the scale of the food waste issue nationwide.

Despite the challenges, the experience was overwhelmingly positive. Mike described it as “the hardest I’ve physically worked in God knows how many years” – but also one of the most rewarding. He was inspired by the dedication of the team, the camaraderie in the warehouse, and the impact that each shift had on local families.

Mike encourages anyone with the capacity to consider getting involved – whether through volunteering, supporting local food clubs, or simply spreading awareness of the incredible work organisations like The Bread and Butter Thing do every day.

If you’d like to learn more or find your local food club, visit The Bread and Butter Thing’s website and discover how you can help reduce waste, support families, and strengthen your community.