Community Partner 2022
30 November 2022
FoodCycle – the return to Community Meals
FoodCycle has been running Community Meals across the country for over 12 years but the pandemic impacted on how they ran their services. They completely changed their operations, introducing a delivery service, telephone service and takeaway meals. Whatever restrictions were thrown at them, they adapted and continued to ensure people wouldn’t go hungry or lonely.
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Guests and volunteers were missing the sit-down meals and the past 18 months has been about reopening closed Projects, opening in new locations and relaunching the much loved Community Meals - helping bring communities back together again.
In 2021 alone, the small team opened 16 new Projects, bringing the overall total to 47, saved 191 tonnes of food from going to waste, served 455,000 meals and had 6,083 telephone conversations through their Check-in and Chat telephone service.
“FoodCycle is amazing! You meet up with other lonely people. You make friends. It's like a family evening when we come to you. We are so welcomed from the volunteers. We are given a beautifully cooked meal. The volunteers come round to each table and talk to us. They are so caring. Thank you for all the hard work you do for the community.” FoodCycle guest, Marylebone
“I think it is a great way to rebuild the community. This is what society needs more than ever in my opinion.” FoodCycle guest, Cambridge