ALDI BRIGHTON - LONDON RD

We are a small community space run by local non-profit group Coldean Community Organisation. We provide a warm friendly space that is free to use for anyone. We offer free Wi-Fi, hot drinks and second-hand children's clothing, as well as a community pantry for food provision and hygiene products. We have fresh food available weekly on a pay-what-you-can basis, including BrightLight food surplus on Fridays in collaboration with BrightStore. Opening hours currently Monday 9-12 and 2-4 and Fridays 9-11 and 2-4. Fridays are when the majority of the surplus food is available. Follow Facebook group for weekly updates. We also have just launched a community café: serving fresh coffee at community prices.

The Real Junk Food Project intercepts this perfectly edible food from local businesses and supermarkets before it is thrown away, turning it into healthy meals to serve to the community on a Pay as You Feel basis. The Pay As You Feel concept invites people to exchange not just their money, but ideas, time and creativity for a meal.

Each Friday we open our Food Bank in Portslade Town Hall. We are open from 12.00 -2.00 to those seeking help. We receive food from the Company "Fare Share " who collect surplus food from supermarkets and local companies .This food is handed out to individuals and families in the BN41 Post Code area who have been referred to us by professional agencies. Many of these people are living in poverty, they have mental health and medical issues and their accommodation is far from secure. We pay £10 per week for this delivery service - the food is free. We have been operating out of Portslade Town Hall for three years and the numbers of people being sent to us is rising. We have had as many as 105 people in one week. This puts a strain on our resources and we have to limit the amount of food we hand out. This is not a good situation as it causes distress and genuine panic among our clients. We are constantly looking for other sources of food. Some local Food Banks have given us generous donations of food and our local schools and churches help whenever they can. We are still finding it hard to supply enough protein, fresh fruit , vegetables, bread and milk. In order to ensure they never go away hungry we prepare and serve up to 80 meals each week to those who come to us to collect supplies. Much of this food is donated by a volunteer and is supplemented by a grant of £10 per week from the local healthy neighbour hood fund.We seldom have anything leftover. We have freezers and some cupboard space, so can store all types of food . Surplus fresh food is made into jam, chutney, soup, pasta sauce etc in order to utilize everything. We run workshops with local experts to encourage the clients to learn cookery skills, budgeting. They also have access to training courses and accommodation options. We are more just than a Food Bank to many people.