Buckley Community Fridge
Buckley, UK
The Buckley Community Fridge project involves the setting up of a Community Fridge which is more than just a response to food poverty in that it also aims to reduce food waste and promote a more cohesive community spirit by sharing excess food. A Community Fridge differs from the food bank as it is open to all. Currently open on a Thursday morning from 10-11.30am.
Buckley Community Fridge collective has members from the churches in the town, local councillors, and concerned individuals who have committed themselves to set up and deliver the project. The collective has the support of Buckley Town Council who have granted them the use of a suite of rooms on the right hand side of the old library building .
The Community Fridge will be open twice a week and staffed by volunteers will have completed a food safety course and any other appropriate training. The rooms will be registered with Flintshire County Council as a food business and therefore be given a food safety rating. Appropriate public liability insurance will be put in place. The rooms will be equipped with a lockable fridge and freezer and furnished with secure storage, as well as tables and chairs for use when open to the public.
The collective is registered with the Community Fridge Network, and now has an agreed constitution and a working committee. The collective is also appealing to the community for donations towards its work and for volunteers to come forward.
What we've received
Meals49,925
Non-food (tonnes)1.62
Neo Community Cafe
Birkenhead, UK
Neo Community cafe is working hard to save a centre in the heart of the Beaconsfield community Rockferry delivering services for over two decades. The Beaconsfield Community House has been opening its doors for a kids youth club and community bingo for residents for the last 15 years.
Neo delivers an action-packed programme of activities including arts, craft, games, cookery and fundays, as well as providing healthy and nutritious breakfast and lunches to children and adults. During the school holidays we aim to use 90% surplus/donated food, with most of our creations packed full of fruit and vegetables to ensure children get their five a day.
At Beaconsfield Neo is in the process of setting up, a community clothes swap that will enable families to access clothes (secondhand or new) for both adults and children as suitable clothing can be out of reach to many on a restricted or low income.
Our community food bank offers crisis support to people who might have reached their quota with their foodbank and still find themselves in hardship.
The cafe runs on a 'Pay As You Feel' basis, offering meals which can be paid for in a number of ways, including money or volunteer time. There are also plans to introduce a number of workshops and feel-good programmes once the centre is back in full swing.
What we've received
Meals441,100
Non-food (tonnes)3.68
Money£2,000
The Port Grocery CIC
Ellesmere Port, UK
The Port Grocery is a not-for-profit Community Interest Company diverting perfectly good food away from landfill for the benefit of our local community.
We run a membership based community shop, The Port Grocery which provides high quality affordable food. Members pay a £10.00 a week membership fee which enables them to come into our shop and choose between £20.00 and £30.00 worth of food every week. Our shop operates a ‘Tick and Collect’ system, where members tick items they want from a list and from a board and their shopping is packed for them by our staff and volunteers. A home delivery service, We have a very wide product range including meat, fish, fresh fruit and vegetables, tinned food, cereals, bread, dried food, cakes, cheese, yogurts, ready meals and non food such as washing detergents, shampoo shower gel, washing up liquid, nappies, baby milk, as and when available, school uniforms, clothes, house hold goods, and much more.
In conjunction with Flynn's Port in the Storm, Crisis Café and House Hold Support fund we hold a crisis fund that we use for anyone in genuine hardship to help by providing food clothes and household items. food
Every week we also run a completely free community lunch, Wednesday Welcome. Our community lunch is open to everyone and provides over 200 hot meals every week. It’s a great place to meet new friends and connect as well as eat some completely free, tasty food all year round. Our volunteers cook up a storm in the kitchen every week using food that otherwise would have gone to waste and turning it into delicious food for everyone. We provide sandwiches, fresh soup, hot meals such as fish pie, pasta bake, stew, puddings, cakes and hot and cold drinks. Wednesday Welcome has also become a focal point in our community which enables individuals to get unmet needs addressed. Our open-door policy ensures we are inclusive and non-discriminatory and removes any stigma from accessing our activities and services.
We also divert much needed food and none-food items to local charitable organisation that support vulnerable people in local communities. In addition we provide food to other food groups who do not have the capacity to collect and store supplies.
What we've received
Meals1,849,564
Non-food (tonnes)27.82
Volunteering (hrs)Volunteering (hours)30
Money£1,900