ALDI WAKEFIELD - BATLEY RD

Wakefield Community Fridge is a volunteer-led community organisation helping people across Wakefield access food, practical support and routes into wider services, while reducing food waste by redistributing good-quality surplus food. We operate twice-weekly Community Fridge sessions from our base at Jamia Masjid Swafia in Wakefield. Our service provides a welcoming and dignified way for local people experiencing financial pressure or food insecurity to access essential food alongside surplus produce that would otherwise go to waste. Since opening in December 2025, demand has grown rapidly. We now support hundreds of visits each month and redistribute thousands of food items through supermarket collections, donations from local businesses and food purchased using grants and community funding. Our work is increasingly about more than food. We use the Community Fridge as an accessible point of contact where people can connect with specialist support. We are developing support pathways with Citizens Advice, Turning Point and Cash Wise, helping people access advice and support around finances, benefits, debt, housing, substance use and other issues affecting household stability. We are supported by a committed team of volunteers and work closely with supermarkets, food businesses, community organisations and local employers. We also welcome businesses that would like to support us through corporate volunteering, food donations or other practical assistance. The support we need most is regular donations of surplus food, including fresh produce, bakery items, ambient groceries and short-dated stock; partnerships with food manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors, supermarkets, bakeries and other businesses with usable surplus; volunteers to support collections, sorting, stocking and our twice-weekly sessions; corporate volunteering and practical support from local employers; and funding or in-kind support to help us meet growing demand and strengthen the Community Fridge for the longer term. Our aim is simple: reduce food waste, make good food available to people who need it, and use that first point of contact to help people access wider support where needed.

CGCC Food Bank have been operating since April 2020. We began work during the COVID pandemic and quickly identified that support was required in the local area. We are proudly supported by Calder Grove Cricket Club and are based at their premises. We deliver around 50 free of charge food parcels every week to families and individuals. Some refer directly to us but we encourage all in need to seek a referral from a professional agency so as to ensure wider support is available if needed. We receive most of our referrals this way.

We are operating in a deprived area which has high unemployment and many one parent families who are struggling with every day living. There are very few opportunities for children to engage with other children and enjoy a wide range of activities. We provide Pony therapy, indoor & outdoor activity sessions for children of all ages, inc. SEND children. We also visit nursing homes, residential care home & day care centres with our therapy pony Crunchy. Our aim is help children develop through play and pony husbandry in a safe environment and give them an opportunity to develop their social skills, confidence and self-esteem. Our volunteers are all DBS checked and attend regular courses in safeguarding and first aid. We hope to create a simple menu for community cafe meals from the surplus food and distribute the remainder within the local community from a local community centre. We provide a simple warm meal for the children who attend our pony therapy sessions, now that the colder months are heading closer. Our Sunday pony pals sessions are held in our barn so hot soups will help warm them in the winter months. We run a successful School's Out project during school holidays and we provide lunch and snacks free to the children. We also have rescue ponies and goats.