From Surplus to Strength: Our CEO Steps Down After 9 Years of Impact 

Yvonne founded UKHarvest in 2017, having recognised the need for a more sustainable food system in the UK. The amount of surplus food being wasted was on the rise during a time when more people were struggling to feed their households. Inspired by the work of OzHarvest in Australia, Yvonne worked to create a symbiotic model where access to food became easier helping households to save money, reduce food waste and become confident in the kitchen through NOURISHed. UKHarvest was born. 

Thanks to the generous support of Queen Camilla as Patron, UKHarvest has grown into an outstanding charity, delivering access to affordable food and free food education to thousands of people each year. Through innovative projects designed to reduce the amount of edible food being wasted each year and increase food security in our communities, UKHarvest has gone from strength to strength saving a staggering 4,008 tonnes of surplus edible food from being wasted since it began; 9.5 million meals worth of food.  

Highlights from Yvonne’s time as CEO include the opening of Nourish Hub, Shepherd’s Bush, in 2022; an idea born from a recognition of social isolation and loneliness and the need to enable communities to build their capacity, supported by  a strong partnership with Hammersmith & Fulham Borough Council. This impactful project has gone from strength to strength in recent years, thanks to Yvonne’s insight and the dedicated work led by the team at Nourish Hub. Yvonne’s vision has ensured that in the last financial year alone, people have received food while 642 people have engaged with face-to-face food education through our NOURISHed programme.   

Community Food Hubs have been an integral part of UKHarvest’s impact. Starting as ‘Pop-Up Pantries’ in Charles Avenue (Chichester), Oving and Selsey, now named Community Food Hubs, UKHarvest hosts 15 hubs across West Sussex. The success of the Community Food Hubs is thanks to the ongoing support from West Sussex Recycles who support seven hubs and to some incredible funders including A2Dominion, The Boltini Trust, Ferry Farm, Selsey’s Beacon Church, The Ludlow Trust and Basil Shippam and Alsford Trust.  

Yvonne’s dedication to UKHarvest has resonated in the growing impact the charity has had on many communities across West Sussex. Yvonne has shared that “UKHarvest is an award-winning charity that has helped more people than I could have possibly hoped for through our food rescue and food education. I have loved being at the helm of the ship, even though the challenging times we experienced during COVID and the continuing difficulties faced across so many sectors due to the cost-of-living crisis. However, I know that UKHarvest is in a strong, stable and exciting place and it’s time for me to hand over the reins to someone new to drive this next chapter of growth and innovation.” 

Long standing member of the board, and now chair, Susannah Day, has worked with Yvonne during her time at UKHarvest. “On behalf of the Board, I want to thank Yvonne for the vision, resilience and leadership that have built UKHarvest into the organisation it is today.” 

UKHarvest are delighted to announce that Lauren Stoner will be stepping in as interim COO. Lauren comes with a wealth of experience and in her own words is “absolutely delighted to join the team at UKHarvest to help support each department and programme during this transitional phase. Getting to know the team members and volunteers, understanding each project and seeing first-hand the impact being made on a daily basis is truly inspiring.” 

From the team at UKHarvest, the board, our volunteers and our long-standing supporters, we would like to wish Yvonne all the very best for her future endeavors and hope that we get lots of updates about her new and exciting adventures.