FoodCycle provides community meals which tackle food poverty and isolation. At seven locations across Newcastle, Sunderland and Gateshead, volunteers come together every week to create a tasty three course meal using surplus food, which is served to guests in a warm and welcoming space.
Typically, guests are living on very low income, homeless or having housing problems, living with long-term physical or mental health conditions, asylum seekers and refugees, and many live alone. But FoodCycle welcomes everyone, no matter their background or circumstance.
Each session is run by two volunteer teams, our cooks and our hosts. The cooking team receive the surplus fresh ingredients (food which can no longer be sold by supermarkets but is perfectly good), and have two hours to create and cook a three course meal. Our hosting team set up the venue like a restaurant, with cutlery and napkins laid out and flowers on the table. When guests arrive, they are shown to a seat and served their meal. Our volunteers work hard to create a welcoming space which encourages conversation and community connection.
Last year, our volunteers served over 4,700 three course meals in the North East. As a result, 79% of our guests said they were eating more fruit and vegetables, 75% were able to save money, 77% made new friends at FoodCycle and 77% said they felt more part of their community.
