AtkinsRéalis

Lochwinnoch Food Committee is a dignified food project with a Pantry distributing surplus food from supermarkets four days per week. We deliver parcels to vulnerable houses on a fifth day, and out Community Fridge/Freezer is open 24/7 for members. Membership is free and we operate on a pay-what-you can donation basis. We have nearly 2000 members and more than 70 volunteers aged from 12 to 80! The aims of the projects are to tackle food insecurity locally as well as the climate emergency. We grow our own food too in local sites. The Larder is about more than just food though - it's a social hub where friendships form and people connect. We're reducing social isolation and also helping to signpost people to other support services; it's easy to fall through the gaps when living rurally. People from across Renfrewshire and North Ayrshire access the project - all are welcome! We also run free cooking classes as fermenting demonstrations. We also have two sister-projects: the Feel Good Festival is a programme of wellbeing events designed to help build community, connect people and tackle mental health. We also have Diggin' It which is an initiative supporting people to grow their own food from their own homes. It includes a free Seed Library and a garden equipment swap-shop. We are also developing a new project idea to help us become more financially sustainable. the idea is for this to be a retail space and Community Hub. We hope to develop a community kitchen, charity shop and pop-up eatery which we can use for all the projects and could also help generate some income. Between the projects, we can use pretty much any kind of surplus - food, kitchen equipment, homeware, clothes, decorating equipment and tools, gardening equipment and plants.

FoodCycle runs volunteer-powered community projects across the UK – all working to reduce food poverty and social isolation by serving tasty, nutritious meals to vulnerable people. Since we started cooking in May 2009, our incredible volunteers have served over 125,000 meals made using over 146,000kg of surplus food – the equivalent saving of 657,000kg CO2 emissions.

Nourish This Hunger project has shown the need to help set up projects such as a Community Food Club here in Salford.. There is a desperate need out there. The Community Food Club called Family Food Fayre commenced in January 2021 on Mondays and Thursdays. We have also set up a food club each Wednesday for those in flats in Pendleton in response to the needs in the area. The food club links into the our support hub to provide support for any in need. as well as any struggling with being homeless. This also provides housing and employment advice as well as funding for energy crisis with those on pre-payment meters. We have also set up other Food Clubs in Radcliffe (2) and another in West Salford. Each one helping out with different help including employment/Digital Inclusion/housing/ mental health/surgery advice/debt advice and energy vouchers. The Narrowgate Night Shelter sadly closed in March 2020 due to COVID-19. So another way in which we support homeless people is through Operation Joy, our street outreach program and support hub. Volunteers are now helping the vulnerable on the streets and in the hub with Paul Winter and Daryl. We also have a resettlement worker Cath as well as Nick, the chaplain who goes into help people in three prisons in the area.