Last month, Jen volunteered at FoodCycle, who are a national charity, with the vision to make food poverty, loneliness and food waste a thing of the past for every community.
Every week a group of volunteers make hot, nutritious 3-course vegetarian meals from surplus ingredients – food which is fit for human consumption, but has no commercial value for the retailer. It may have become damaged in transit, might be past its ‘best before’ date or might have been over-ordered. FoodCycle works with supermarkets, small independent grocery shops and markets to source perfectly edible surplus food. In 2023 they prevented 239 tonnes of food from going to waste!
Everyone is welcome at FoodCycle, with some people visit for food, others for company. By serving vegetarian food, the meals are accessible to people of all cultures and religions. On the day that Jen volunteering the menu included falafel fritters and hummus, dahl and rice, and fresh berry jelly pots – and it was delicious!
Guests are also given a bag each of surplus food that was not used as part of the meal prep to take home with them. This is supplemented with food donations from local supermarkets. This means that not only are people leaving with full bellies, but they also have essentials to get them through the next few days.
We love to see charities who are not only supporting the local community, but also helping to lessen the huge issue of food waste.
FoodCycle are always looking for volunteers – either as cooks, pot washes or hosts. Jen volunteered as a host, which involved getting the dining room ready, sorting the surplus food ready for guests to take, greeting guests on arrival, and serving food and drinks. If you’re interested in volunteering with FoodCycle, head over to their volunteer website – you don’t need any prior skills, just a willingness to get stuck in! Jen volunteered at Longbridge, but there are also meals being served in Weoley Castle, Quinton and West Heath, as well as many other locations in England and Wales.