Words by Smiley Team
Serving up free community meals at projects across the country, FoodCycle provides food and conversation to local communities.
With the additional aim of reducing food waste, FoodCycle volunteers create nutritious meals from surplus food. The meals are open to all, and guests range from low-income families, people affected by homelessness and those who cannot afford to buy food. No questions asked, you can just turn up and take a seat.
The charity recently announced TV’s Jack Thorne as their new patron to support them in their quest to make food poverty, loneliness and food waste a thing of the past for every community.
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Jack first learned about FoodCycle’s work in Christmas 2020, when he adapted ‘A Christmas Carol’ for the Old Vic. They were the production’s charity partner and in part of the show, they educated the audience on what FoodCycle does and encouraged them to donate.
“Hearing about what the organisation does to help charities around the country every night was so inspiring,” he tells Smiley News. “I quickly decided to pledge to match the total donations. From there we kept on talking and when they asked me to be a Patron I was thrilled.”
It’s an important charity to Jack. “FoodCycle has projects around the country and 15 in London, which means I’m lucky enough to have one close to where we live. Having visited the project in Islington recently, it became clear how vital this service is to the community, giving people a place to go to get a free nutritious meal and some company.”
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Jack joined the volunteers in the kitchen at his most recent visit, helping the cooking team turn surplus food that had arrived that morning into a free, three-course meal for guests. “I loved that the food was delicious and healthy,” he says. “Sitting down and sharing a meal with FoodCycle guests on my last visit, I was touched by the way everyone clearly needed it.”
He’s passionate about encouraging more people to get involved with the charity. “FoodCycle have made a beautiful thing and once you go along to a project and see the joy they bring into people’s lives, you’ll be hooked," he adds.
There are plenty of ways to help, by volunteering at your local FoodCycle, supporting through donations or donating surplus food if you’re a local business. For more information on FoodCycle and how you can help visit www.foodcycle.org.uk.
