Nina, who is in her 70s, has been coming to FoodCycle in London Fields since last summer. “The way that they present their food is like I am at a high-class restaurant. We cannot afford to go out to eat so this is our treat every Thursday and it’s all free.”
Nina and her husband are among the 50 regulars who attend the Ainsworth Road lunch each week. It’s run by FoodCycle, a nationwide charity with 11 outlets in London which aims to prevent anyone from being lonely or hungry.
They offer free meals prepared for by volunteers with food donated by local restaurants and businesses. Other food such as crisps, fruit and vegetables are also made available for people to take home at the end of the meal.
“I love coming here each week,” Nina tells me. “I’ve made friends and the volunteers are so lovely. I’d recommend it to anyone I know.”
Statistics suggest that services like FoodCycle are desperately needed in Hackney. 36 percent of people in the borough are living in poverty compared to a London average of 27 per cent. And the charity Campaign to End Loneliness estimates that nine million people in the UK are lonely.
But Nina recounts a story that shows how even the most well-meaning charitable schemes can be disrupted by the sheer desperation of hungry people. “Once when they left the food out at the end of lunch a fight broke out,” she tells me.
“Two men wanted the same item and fists were thrown. That’s when I suggested that they put food into individual bags so everyone gets the same amount of free food. It’s astonishing how people behave when they are desperate.”
FoodCycle relies on volunteers to continue their work. Belinda began volunteering after she was made redundant just before Christmas. “It’s amazing what we can do with some leftovers. I am really enjoying it, I am a professional caterer so I volunteered to use my skills. There are such a variety of people who come here and it’s good to come into contact with different cultures.”
The new Kingshold Community Centre on Ainsworth Road has been running these sessions since 2015 and it is fast becoming an integral part of the community for those who attend.
Carly Attridge, the Volunteering Manager at Outward, a charity working to support people with learning disabilities, said: “FoodCycle Hackney is a place for local people to enjoy a free nutritious meal in a friendly environment and to meet new people. Hackney is badly in need of an initiative like FoodCycle to help tackle food poverty in the area.”
The volunteers are just one part of the work the charity is doing. Donations from local businesses are crucial to ensure they are able to feed people coming every Thursday. Sarah Lo is the bakery commercial lead at the Centre for Better Health which runs a bakery that donates to FoodCycle.
She said: “A fair few of our staff and volunteers have volunteered with FoodCycle so they are well known amongst the team. We try to avoid food waste as much as we can and it can be a shame for the bakers to see their hard work go to waste.
“Sourdough bread has a great shelf-life and even when it becomes a bit stale, you can do some magic in the oven to bring it back to life. We are a part of a mental health charity and we like to support other charities and community-based projects when possible.
“I’d really recommend other businesses to do the same.”
Nina says that she will continue to attend FoodCycle meals as long as it stays in Hackney. “I love coming every week. It gets us out of the house and we get to see our friends we have made here. FoodCycle is one of my favourite things about this community now.”
FoodCycle at Ainsworth Road runs every Thursday 12pm-2.30pm. You do not need an appointment – just turn up and tuck in! For more information about the project visit foodcycle.org.uk.
