Food waste group’s five star service
AGROUP that stops edible food going into landfill, is celebrating its fifth anniversary.
Based in the Positive Start building on Bury Road, Rawtenstall, across from the Fire Station, the Food Group provides a service for individuals, couples and families.
Mayor of Rossendale Coun Jackie Oakes and Mayoress Christine Lamb called in, but not just to meet volunteers - instead they also helped to serve the many visitors who called to collect food.
Jackie said: “I don’t see this as a food bank, because it isn’t.
“Instead, it is a way of reducing the waste and making sure people who can’t afford quality food have the opportunity to eat it. It is stopping perfectly good food going into landfill, and this must be a good thing.
“Like most schemes in Rossendale, it is totally run by volunteers and without those volunteers, this just wouldn’t happen and this food would be going into landfill.”
When the doors open, visitors are asked to pay a nominal fee of £5, but only
if they can. No one is means tested or has to fill in a form; rather they fill their bags with an assortment of fresh fruit, veg and meat, dairy products, eggs, bread, packets and tins.
Regular volunteer Milo Gawler said: “I have been involved ever since it opened five years ago.
“I had gone past the building several times and seen people inside and wondered what was going on so one day I decided to investigate.
“One of the volunteers
offered me a cucumber and said I could take as much as I needed and explained what the food group was all about.
“I became a volunteer and been here ever since.
“The most rewarding part is being able to give food to people who need it, rather than it go to landfill.
“To make sure that everybody in the community that wants food, regardless of their personal circumstance, can call here and get it; we are nonjudgemental.
“We don’t fill in questionnaires, we fill bellies.”
The Food Group is a member of Fairshare and buys food from Preston to supplement the shortdated food which is provided by local supermarkets.
The cellars of the building have been kitted out with fridges and freezers for the food donations.
Any fresh food left over from the Friday, is given to Trinity Baptist Church in Bacup to be distributed to those in need through their food bank.