New community meal initiative launches in Wolverhampton church
The tables were set, the meals prepared and the volunteers were ready to welcome guests to a new food project in the Black Country.
The new FoodCycle project opened its doors at the Wesleyan Holiness Church on Merridale Lane in Wolverhampton on Wednesday to provide a three-course meal and companionship to people in need from 5pm.
Adapted from a scheme in the United States called Campus Kitchen, FoodCycle offers a weekly three-course meal to anyone who needs it, no questions asked, with a group of volunteers cooking and serving the vegetarian meals throughout.
FoodCycle Midlands regional manager Jody Beswick said FoodCycle had identified the part of Wolverhampton where the church is located in Chapel Ash as one which would benefit from a free community meal for those who needed it.
He said: "We look at areas that might have deprivation or an elderly population or people living in isolation or loneliness and we found that this area was a mixture of all of those and would benefit from a free community meal.
"The idea of FoodCycle is that it breaks down barriers and people start talking and recognising people from the local community and, hopefully, begin to make some new friends as a result.
"By offering a vegetarian meal, we are able to welcome all faiths and religions and lifestyle choices, and we use food that supermarkets say has gone past its best before, but is still perfectly good for us to use."
The project also allowed people volunteering to learn new skills while there, with some people learning how to cook while preparing the meals, with leek and potato soup and frittatas being prepared.
Magdalena Kot had been volunteering with FoodCycle for years and was project leader at the new centre, saying her training as a dietician helped.
She said: "I've always loved everything about food and I wanted to help a charity which would fit that knowledge, so volunteering here helped to open up opportunities to meet people and to cook and exchange recipes and I never looked back.
"What makes FoodCycle special is that it's fun and has a great social aspect, and you will get to meet people from diverse communities and help them to learn about cooking with vegetables and the different things they can do."
With around 18 guests a week expected, the church was a hub of activity, with the pastor Floretta Thomas among those volunteering their time to help.
She said it was a great opportunity to connect with the community and said FoodCycle was a great initiative.
She said: "This is an initial step for us to become a community church because we just want to build up a relationship with our community and let people know we are here, and they would miss us if we weren't here.
"It's also a lovely way to make a difference in people's lives and support them and I think what FoodCycle is doing is great, especially in these economically difficult times, so I think it's great we are connected to them."
FoodCycle Wolverhampton will take place every Wednesday at 5pm at Wesleyan Holiness Church on Merridale Lane in Wolverhampton.
To find out more about FoodCycle, go to foodcycle.org.uk.
