The new Hartlepool project providing free food and good conversation to the community

FoodCycle, which aims to make food poverty, loneliness and food waste a thing of the past, launched in Owton Manor at the beginning of the month.

They are serving up free meals to the community every Monday evening at the Kilmarnock Road Children and Young People’s Family Resource Centre.

Volunteers provide people with nutritious meals made with surplus food that would have otherwise gone to waste as well as friendly chat to anyone in the area who needs it no questions asked.

Mathew Milner, FoodCycle’s Yorkshire and Teesside regional manager, said: “We are thrilled to be launching a new project in Hartlepool, we look forward to forming partnerships with local businesses, welcoming local residents in to the FoodCycle volunteer family and most importantly providing a nutritious meal and friendly chat to anyone in the community who needs it, no questions asked.”

The project is open to all with guests ranging from low income families to people affected by homelessness and those who cannot afford to buy food.

FoodCycle, which was created in response to the first national lockdown, says food poverty and loneliness are growing issues with both heightened by the pandemic.

And by creating nutritious meals from surplus food, it also aims to cut down on unnecessary food waste.

Over 60% of previous guests said they relied on the service and could not afford to buy food without it.

FoodCycle also runs a Check-in and Chat telephone service where volunteers call guests for a weekly natter and lend an ear to those who feel lonely to help combat the rising issue of social isolation.

The Hartlepool project takes place every Monday from 6.45pm and the charity is currently looking for more volunteers to join their ranks.

Flexible volunteer roles without a minimum time commitment are open to anyone and include food collection, surplus food coordinators, cooking, hosting and managing.

For more information call in at the Owton Manor project or visit FoodCycle’s website at http://www.foodcycle.org.uk/

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