Lidl Newtown

We have two aims: * To protect the environment by reducing food waste. Food waste has a real impact on the environment. We are saving water used to grow wasted food, energy to transport it, and greenhouse gas emissions when it rots in landfill. * To battle food poverty. We are providing good quality food, free of charge to people in the Newtown area. People can take surplus food, without charge. They are welcome to make a donation if they can afford to. We now collect daily from six supermarkets, and less regularly each week from a further five. We have developed a 'market' based approach at food shares which provides customers with open free-choice access to a wide range of surplus food. We are now saving over one tonne of food each week from being wasted. About 130 households per week come to our food shares, held twice each week in the centre of Newtown Our stock is further supplemented through purchasing core items of food for making family meals, when they are not available as surplus from the supermarkets. This is funded through a donation model and is self-sustaining. We are also reaching a widening range of customers through partnership with local family centres, nurseries, schools and community cafés to let them share and use surplus food. We have recruited an active volunteer group of more than 60. It has become clear that volunteer opportunities have been taken up by a significant number of individuals with a range of additional needs – physical, mental, social and emotional. We are developing responsive volunteer support and oversight processes which recognise our role in providing support structures and mechanisms to help other agencies and the community in meeting these needs. We have also started working in partnership with a range of other voluntary sector organisations who serve client groups overlapping with ours. They are now providing us with additional volunteers, while using our food shares as venues at which they can offer access to their services. We have been able to distribute information about services for benefits claimants and support materials related to domestic violence.

Newtown Community Cafe opened it's doors to the public in October 2018. Our first aim was to prevent hunger amongst the most disadvantaged in our town...the homeless, those impacted by drug addiction, poverty, ill health etc. Our secondary aim was to prevent food waste. With the support of Morrisons, Tesco and our local family run bakery, we have met those aims. We soon discovered that a lot of elderly impoverished folk in the town are very lonely so we have welcomed them too We open on Wednesdays from 11am for teas and coffees and a 3 course meal is served between 12 midday and 1pm. We make no charge for food and drinks though some folks do like to leave a small donation. We began with just 10 customers but have grown to a regular client base on between 25 and 35. When the pandemic hit, and we had to close our doors, we became concerned for our very vulnerable clients, many of whom would be shielding. After a quick discussion with our volunteers and a rather longer one with our Environmental Health Officer, we opened the following week as 'Meals with wheels.' Initially we served 24 hot meals, all of three courses. We now serve 60 -75 meals each Wednesday. Again our meals are free of charge. We serve only vegetable based soups and main courses and a hot dessert. As our numbers have grown, the support from supermarkets has not, as they are now supporting many more needs in the community. We are now in a position where we are having to purchase supplies to meet the need. We are hopeful that the "neighbourly" scheme will be able to help us by linking us to Lidl in Newtown and/or Aldi in Welshpool, for a collection on Tuesdays

We are a mixture of older and younger people all with different needs. We organise a range of social activities at our scheme most of which include food. We're starting a community tuck shop / trolley which will enable our residents to stay as independent as possible. We will hold a regular coffee morning that will support the residents here and members of our wider community. We will also be able to hold a healthy eating workshops with fruit smoothies ad healthy diets. This can be in a series of sessions and work with what is in season, which the food donations could help towards.