ALDI TOWCESTER

Foodkind began as Revolution Zero in Northamptonshire, with an environmental mission to stop good food going to waste – and to campaign about the over-supply in our wider food system. We collect surplus food from supermarkets and share it with the community. As our network of Shop Zero and Cafe Zero projects is closed during Covid-19, we are focused on food aid. From the start of lock down, our ‘Bags of Good’ team has delivered thousands of food parcels and taken fresh produce out to charities and food banks for their work to support vulnerable and isolated people, promoting #zero hunger #zero waste. Supermarkets are often left with unsold, but perfectly edible, food. Thanks to an unmatched team of collectors, we pick up from a wide variety of stores and bring produce to our hubs to be stored in our goods area; or frozen or chilled. Other volunteers work in our network of shops (pop-up and bricks and mortar), event stalls and cafes. The chefs and waiting staff create delicious meals, tailoring menus to match our stock. We offer training and are committed to making sure volunteering adds value for our colleagues. Schools, charities and other charities also share our produce and we support new projects to get going. As a Community Interest Company we invest any profits into developing the enterprise.

Sharing is Caring is a food service that serves students nationwide with the intention to expand internationally. The program’s focus is to identify area needs for food requirement amongst students first and utilise resources to satisfy those needs in order to eliminate hunger in our student community. We operate within the Welfare Office at our partnering universities so as to limit abuse of the service. Students are encouraged to volunteer in every aspect of the food service as voluntary work experience is highly recognised and preferred by many employers in varying sectors. It is deep sadness that we have identified a large community of students who do not eat on an average day to day basis simply because they cannot afford to. It is our intention to operate a warehouse facility at every university and college in the United Kingdom where we will store donated or rescued food for distribution to students. The program actively solicits food from retailers, wholesalers, and processors. In addition, we plan to collect food donations from restaurants for immediate distribution to service programs. It is estimated that the number of students who need services from us will increase during the next five years as the cost of living increases. Though there are a number of food banks available countrywide, there is that element of embarrassment that a student has to overcome to approach them. It is with this in mind that we are providing a more specific service solely for students. It is within our plan to have a smart phone application that allows students to indicate their need and desire for food. Sharing is Caring is therefore an important resource because we can respond quickly with the one of the most important resources these students need. Food! Our services help to improve the wellbeing and welfare of students and assist greatly in achieving goals that have been set. We know that our service is a small investment with regards to the influence hunger has on our health, however, it must be implemented as the cost of ignoring the problem regarding student hunger could possibly be detrimental in the long run especially in the face of rising university costs without added incentives. We all know that “hungry” should never be a pronoun for “student”, however; today sub-standardisation of this matter is a reality for some.

🌟 Towcester Community Fridge Free food. Friendly faces. Fighting loneliness. We collect short-dated food from local supermarkets and share it free with our community. Join us: Mon & Wed mornings: Tea & coffee from 8:30 am, food at 10 am Fri afternoons: Doors at 2:30 pm, food at 4 pm We help 35–45 families per session—around 400 people each week—and our pre-food chats are just as important as the food, building friendships and community spirit. Come for the food, stay for the community!