M&S Cirencester

We are a small rural community group that distributes surplus fresh food collected from various nearby urban supermarkets and food outlets to individual families within our local community at no charge to those who benefit. A dedicated space with a fridge / freezer has been set aside in the village for this initiative providing us with the opportunity to help local families keep their fresh food costs down and provide a vital service to the community many of whom cannot get to a food bank. With some disadvantaged users identified by our local schools, community groups and local Councillors, the primary purpose is for this perfectly edible food to be consumed rather than being thrown into landfill. Our sole focus is on the distrubution of surplus food with some 3.8 tonnes being collected per annum which equates to the provision of over 8,000 meals. Equally as important, this consumption of food rather than being thrown away has resulted in over 12 tonnes of CO2 being averted from entering the atmosphere every year.

We are a small, enthusiastic group who are experienced with store to door surplus food collections. The group has been set up to help in tackling hunger and food waste. Surplus food is collected from local supermarkets that we partner with and redistribute to those that can benefit. We have been assisting local families in the Cheltenham and surrounding areas and there is no charge for what our group provides. Our volunteers give up their spare time during the day and also into the evenings going out of their way to help others and always with a smile. Due to the donations that we are currently receiving there is no means testing and we provide by way of care parcels. We assist families who are currently going through crisis due to job loss, ill health and on low income. There is no judgement and we believe in treating everyone with dignity and respect. At times there are excess amounts of one food item and after supplementing the care parcels we will distribute to large groups of people that can make use of these such as key workers, breakfast clubs or schools. We believe in these times affected by the cost of living crisis that no good food should be wasted and instead given to those that can make use of it.

Nobody who wants company should be without it. We want to make this happen by ensuring that: We have operated for 8 years with an aim help reduce loneliness and isolation via our Lunch Club and Day Centre, providing affordable hot food and companionship. Our participants are signposted via social services or living in the locality. Engaging in communal social and health activities to enhance a sense of wellbeing. For many members our lunch clubs’ interactions are the most valued social participation they have outside of a family settings. For those members without family support, our lunch club is a vital source of a support system, that helps to maintain their sense of connectedness, improves confidence and overall general health and wellbeing, we run various games, quizzes, raffles and events. We charge £2.00 for a full English breakfast and £5 for lunch. We are partnering with RVS and local colleges providing supervised placements and volunteer posts for individuals with learning difficulties. Whilst our Small community group is being encouraged to scale-up activities, we continue to face challenges in recruiting more volunteers.