ALDI ESTON - TRUNK RD

We are a community centre working 7 days and 5 nights a week with vulnerable people and families. We run groups and support for people including food bags for families in the area. In this current situation we are running a food bank and feeding 90 pensioners ensuring they have fresh food and prescriptions are collected for them. We live in a deprived area and have a lot of people struggling at this time. We are a self supported centre and as you can imaging at this time we are getting no income from groups which is making funding hard.

The Food Rescue Group in Middlesbrough takes a practical, community-led approach to tackling food waste and promoting sustainable living across the city. In the context of climate change, resource depletion, and growing environmental pressures, the importance of this work has never been clearer. A central focus of the group is addressing food waste, a major contributor to the unnecessary loss of resources and methane emissions from landfill. Tackling this issue is both environmentally essential and socially important, as surplus food can provide meaningful support to local families and individuals. The group works closely with local producers and retailers to ensure surplus food is put to good use rather than discarded. These partnerships help businesses reduce disposal costs while delivering clear environmental benefits. Pickup and distribution in Middlesbrough are coordinated by Sarah Russell and Adriana Dunose, who organise volunteer schedules, oversee collections, and ensure rescued food is delivered promptly, safely, and to where it is most needed. The initiative is driven by dedicated volunteers, including students from local universities and members of the wider community. Together, they collect and redistribute surplus food shortly after it becomes available, helping to preserve freshness and remove the need for long-term storage. All food collected is carefully inspected to ensure it meets strict safety standards. Any items that cannot be shared are disposed of responsibly to minimise environmental impact. Volunteer coordination takes place through a dedicated WhatsApp group, providing real-time updates on collection times, locations, and quantities. By diverting significant volumes of food from landfill, the Food Rescue Group in Middlesbrough is reducing methane emissions, conserving valuable resources, and strengthening community connections. Through consistent, local action, the group is helping build a more sustainable and inclusive future — one meal, one volunteer, and one community at a time.

The Ironstone Pantry was created to support the people of Lazenby. The Ironstone Pantry provides free and very cheap food and other items to the people of the village and surrounding area, or those with a strong connection to the Village. We charge £2.00 which entitles a customer to the fruit, vegetables, bread and donated items on offer. We have fresh and frozen food which can cost usually between £0.50 and £2.00. The Pantry is open on Friday between 4-5pm, we also offer a social space during this time with a place to sit and chat with free refreshments. The Ironstone Pantry at various times of the year runs a seated exercise class, a warm space with Soup, bun and pudding, all free of charge