Lidl Birmingham Balsall Heath

Our 0rganisation works with Men, Women, Young People, Elderly and The Homeless, by supporting them in all different areas, clothing, toiletries, personal hygiene, food items and providing them a hot drink and a meal. We are also starting up a Breakfast Club on Saturday, for the Elderly, and people from the disadvantaged group, due to the demand for something in the Birmingham area on Saturday mornings. And finally we are wanting to start up a foodbank for single mothers and fathers that have a partner in prison and are struggling to feed their families.

Formerly known as The Real Junk Food Project Birmingham, Incredible Surplus has been operating since 2014. Since then, we have redistributed over 1800 tonnes of waste food, cooked and served over 36,000 meals, helped 100 people achieve a Level 2 Food Safety Certificate, and seen dozens of volunteers move on into paid employment. All this would never have been possible without our amazing bank of volunteers and without the ongoing support of our donors and partner organisations. Our volunteers intercept food and other items that would otherwise go to waste from supermarkets, restaurants and other sources and redistribute them on a “Pay-As-You-Feel” basis. We run a series of community venues on a weekly across Birmingham and Solihull. We also ‘pop up’ at other venues. Please see www.incrediblesurplus.org for more info. The food we intercept has to be fit for human consumption and therefore we do not take food that has reached its Use By date, but we can take food past its Best Before date. Alongside food donations we also receive non-food items such as toilet rolls, household items, toys, and clothes, which we can redistribute across Birmingham at regular venues and via partner organisations. Our project is for everyone and we attract a wide range of people. In the main however, we feed people who are in food poverty; this includes the homeless, refugees, single parents, people with mental health problems. What is unique with us is that anyone can access the donated items or food on a Pay As You Feel basis. All give something back in return, whether this be a cash donation, their time, or skills. This system helps to prevent stigmatisation as well as fostering an enabling approach. Our project is predominantly run by volunteers. We have just a handful pf paid staff who are paid the living wage and volunteer extra hours on top. Many of our volunteers hold level 2 Food Hygiene Certificates, and a number of our volunteers have gained skills and qualifications and now have moved onto paid work. We're always on the look out for more donors/suppliers and volunteers!

Birmingham Central Mosque’s food bank has been operational since 2016. We are pleased to inform that we now have a dedicated team of volunteers led by a senior project lead who manages the food bank on a full-time basis and ensures that the food bank is open at least twice a week on Tuesday afternoons and Saturday mornings. The aim of the food bank is to ensure that the food bank itself meets the needs of the local community and those further afield who require assistance in the form of food parcels. Birmingham Central Mosque are fully aware that the cost of living has soared over the past few years, and there are many within our immediate vicinity who require help in the form of food parcels donations. Currently we have over 450 families/individuals who have signed up to the food bank, who themselves are representative of the city of Birmingham. As an Islamic institution, its imperative that we ensure the service meets the needs of all regardless of background, faith or ethnicity etc. Since November 2021, we have had a continued and steady increase in demand for the use of the food bank, which in itself has now allowed us to create a dedicated team of core volunteers. Such is the current demand we are now exploring the possibility of forging long term partnerships with organisations who can help ensure that the food bank continues in its current trajectory by meeting the growing demands of the community and by also ensuring that as a collective we endeavour to ensure that we make efforts to minimise food waste.