A restaurant in Hackney that turns surplus food into tasty meals has launched a crowdfunding campaign to prepare its building for winter.
Save the Date, on Abbott Street in Dalston, currently requires a roof and four new walls to remain open during the winter. The owners have so far raised £1,500 as part of a 30-day campaign to keep the cafe open.
The cafe prepares meals using food saved from going to landfill and operates on a “pay as you feel” basis.
In a YouTube video to accompany the campaign, Save the Date’s founder James Smart said: “Why do we need crowdfunding? Because we’ve done all of this for free for the last year with no funding.
“We’ve built the whole thing out of recycled material and now we’re looking to take it one step further.”
Mr Smart told the Hackney Post that the money would give the cafe an opportunity to host community projects, such as helping the elderly save waste food, and providing children with cooking workshops.
The cafe has received all kinds of donations of food since its founding from supermarkets and local shops.
“We’ve just received 20,000 jars of Punjabi pesto,” said Mr Smart. “We’ve got 19,000 Nutrigrain bars downstairs and about another 20,000 Ryvitas.
“Everything you see in the shops has been wasted at some point in time.”
Image: Matthew Field
