Charity tackling food waste, poverty and loneliness calls for Huddersfield volunteers at new project

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FoodCycle needs more cooks, servers, drivers and washer-uppers to help turn surplus food into free community meals for local people in Aspley

A new community meal where volunteers turn food waste into delicious dishes, has launched in Huddersfield to help tackle food poverty, loneliness and food waste.

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Community dining charity FoodCycle needs volunteers to help provide free weekly hot lunches for regular guests in a friendly and welcoming atmosphere, at St Joseph's Catholic Church, on Somerset Rd, Aspley.

FoodCycle Huddersfield Aspley runs on Mondays at 6.30pm. It’s the first FoodCycle community dining project to launch in Huddersfield and the fifth in West Yorkshire, as the charity expands to help nourish communities across England and Wales.

FoodCycle needs volunteers for a new community meal in TottenhamFoodCycle needs volunteers for a new community meal in Tottenham
FoodCycle needs volunteers for a new community meal in Tottenham

Everyone is welcome to turn up to eat for free, with regular guests including low-income families, elderly people, refugees, people who live alone, may be homeless, or simply want to get more involved in their community.

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Volunteers get to be part of the ‘FoodCycle magic’ – transforming surplus food that would otherwise go to waste into delicious and nutritious vegetarian dishes, such as soups and salads, pasta bakes, curries, stews, pastries and fruit crumble.

No prior qualifications are needed to volunteer with Foodcycle and there’s no minimum weekly commitment – just sign up in advance via the FoodCycle website and relevant training and guidance will be provided: https://foodcycle.org.uk/volunteer-huddersfield/

Roles include cooking, hosting and pot washing, or helping run the project, for which you need to be available for four-hours on any day you volunteer. Drivers or cyclists are also needed to help collect surplus food, for which you need your own transport.

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Volunteers at the new FoodCycle Huddersfield Community mealVolunteers at the new FoodCycle Huddersfield Community meal
Volunteers at the new FoodCycle Huddersfield Community meal

Across Yorkshire and the Humber, volunteers at eight existing projects in Leeds, Bradford, Hull, Doncaster and Sheffield have so far served more than 8,500 meals this year, saving more than 19 tonnes of surplus food from being wasted.

FoodCycle Yorkshire & The Humber Regional Manager Sophie Aoun said:“We’re heartened to be opening a new FoodCycle community dining project in Huddersfield. We hope our provision of free food and good company will help many local people, at a time when the high cost of living continues to affect everything from fuel bills to food costs. Each week we provide a safe, welcoming space for anyone who wants to come along to enjoy great food and conversation with us for free. Our vital community service runs on the kindness of volunteers, so we’re asking local people willing to give up a few hours a month to get in touch with us.”

FoodCycle runs 96 community meals nationally, offering good food and company to guests from all backgrounds. FoodCycle Huddersfield opened to the public for the first time on Monday September 23rd.

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So far in 2024, FoodCycle has served over 100,000 free meals to people nationally and saved more than 200 tonnes of surplus food from going to landfill. The charity is currently celebrating its 15th birthday.

Whether you’re a food waste warrior, a keen cook or washer-upper, a tea-making machine, or just enjoy a friendly chat while sharing a delicious meal, volunteering with FoodCycle is a fun way to help your community, and the environment too.

Pam, a FoodCycle volunteer said: “Every week, once you see people fed its rewarding because you know that without us, they might not have had access to a hot meal that week. You get to know the guests who come every week. I’ve had guests tell me they don’t like vegetables, even though we serve a three-course vegetarian meal but come back! At the end of the day, you get a sense you’re doing something worthwhile using food that would otherwise have ended up in the bin.”

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FoodCycle Huddersfield Aspley runs every Monday at 6.30pm at St Joseph's Catholic Church, 19 Somerset Rd, Aspley, Huddersfield HD5 9AU.

You can also donate to support FoodCycle here:https://foodcycle.org.uk/donate/

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Other FoodCycle community meal projects in Yorkshire & The Humber:

West Yorkshire

  • FoodCycle Leeds Seacroft - Tuesdays at 6.30pm at Chapel FM Arts Centre, York Road, Leeds, LS14 6JB
  • FoodCycle Leeds Beeston & Holbeck – Wednesdays at 6.30pm at St Luke's Church, Malvern Road, Holbeck, Leeds, LS11 8PD
  • FoodCycle Leeds Harehills – Thursdays at 6.30pm at St Aidan's Church, Roundhay Road, Leeds, LS8 5QD
  • FoodCycle Bradford Thorpe Edge – Thursdays at 6.30pm at The Rockwell Centre, Bradford, BD10 8DP

East Yorkshire

  • FoodCycle Hull Marfleet – Thursdays at 6.30pm at Marfleet Community Centre, Rear of 22-24 Swanfield Road, Hull, HU9 4PX

South Yorkshire

  • FoodCycle Doncaster Central – Tuesdays 12.30pm at Doncaster Baptist Church, Chequer Rd, Doncaster, DN1 2AL
  • FoodCycle Sheffield Parsons Cross – Tuesdays 6.30pm at Mount Tabor Methodist Church, Wordsworth Avenue Sheffield S5 8NJ
  • FoodCycle Sheffield Broomhall – Wednesdays at 12.30pmat the Broomhall Centre, Broomspring Lane, Sheffield S10 2FD

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