ALDI HOVE - OLD SHOREHAM RD

We set up during Covid to help with food support and continue through the cost of living crisis where need has increased. We offer foodbank, clothes bank, Toy Library and craft resources. We are currently struggling to keep up with demand for all food types and in particular Frozen/Chilled foods. There are no charges with respect to any food that we receive in. Our redistribution model works by - giving out free donated food to people who access the foodbank, community shop or the MySpace Community Hub. The free food days are Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday 11am - 2pm. There are deliveries throughout Southwick and Shoreham and Fishersgate for people who cannot get to the Hub for whatever reason. Size of the operation is increasing, with referrals from other organisations that cannot cope themselves. The delivery food is packed according to dietary needs, is checked for freshness, and then where possible there is a mix of vegetables, proteins and carbs according to family size. Most of the time people are accessing the hub also for other services such as housing officer, Citizens Advice, and Mind referrals.

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.

Weald Community Fridge in Brighton and Hove is a new project, combining ‘growing your own’ with preventing food waste. Alongside the fresh fruit and vegetables that our allotment holders offer, we’re inviting local companies to donate their surplus produce to the most needy and vulnerable people in our city - those in food poverty. We are also setting up a monthly Soup Sunday, to encourage elderly and isolated local people to enjoy a free bowl of home-made soup and a chat, and then stock up on food from the Community Fridge. The same soup will be available to allotment-holders (suggested donation 50 pence) which will fund the basic ingredients we need to make the soup, training in food hygiene for new volunteers, and the purchase of replacement crockery and cutlery. This is all designed to foster greater integration, introduce people to new recipes and ways of cooking, and encourage healthy eating and community food sharing. Weald Community Fridge and Soup Sunday has so far received funding from the Brighton and Hove Allotment Federation, the Postcode Lottery, the Rampion Fund, and Neighbourly as well as many in-kind donations of equipment and supplies. Project timeline The Fridge opened on 1 April 2020 and immediately repurposed as a food delivery system, at it's height feeding 96 households a week! From 1 August 2020 we've been open to the public on Thursdays between 10:00 and 13:00, as well as continuing Sunday deliveries to the most vulnerable households across our city. From 1 November we will launch our Soup Sundays - inviting different individuals, community groups and organisations to cook and offer soup to the wider community each month. Donating food to the Weald Community Fridge If you would like to donate to the Weald Community Fridge, please call 01273 772684. One of our volunteers will be happy to: Come and make a presentation to your staff or, Give you a tour of Weald site and the Community Fridge or, Just drop off some information sheets to help your team understand how the donation process works and what will happen to the food you provide.