Angela – Volunteer
Cooking volunteer Angela is a sustainability champion at her local FoodCycle meal in Falcon Lodge.
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Here at FoodCycle, our mission is to nourish the hungry and lonely in our communities with delicious meals and great conversation. For some, the opportunity to get out of the house and have chat with other people is just as important as the meals we serve.
We also find that our volunteers benefit greatly from the friendly environment, the warm welcome, and the social interaction that they encounter when they volunteer at a FoodCycle project.
Emma, who after going through a really difficult time during the pandemic, found that volunteering at her local project, FoodCycle Newport, helped her to build her self-esteem and confidence and lift her mood!
Read Emma’s story below
“I started volunteering with FoodCycle in January 2022, and the experience has been pivotal to improving my mental wellbeing. As a result of the pandemic, I was made redundant twice in the last two years, and was home-schooling my son. I had become quite reclusive, and my mood became low, as I felt like I had little to offer.
The increasing cost of living crisis, and the free school meals crisis over the pandemic, encouraged me to seek a face to face volunteering opportunity within FoodCycle. The whole ethos appealed to me, as I hate throwing food away, and wanted to support those struggling financially and emotionally.
The atmosphere at the project was immediately warm, friendly, and encouraging, and the food smelled delicious as I walked into the building! The other volunteers and guests were all so welcoming, and I felt like one of the team straight away. My self-esteem rose considerably, and I felt like I still had a purpose in life. Meeting the same guests most weeks has also been massively positive in terms of feeling less lonely. During the pandemic, I went six months without seeing another adult, so having conversations with several people at once was amazing!
I went home from the first session with a huge smile on my face and felt such a buzz from being busy and chatting with people. To be honest I didn’t want to go home, and went straight home and booked another volunteering session. Even doing FoodCycle training online has made me feel more confident and like I can offer transferable skills from my previous jobs to my volunteering.
Volunteering at FoodCycle has increased my well-being and confidence to the point where I am now applying for career opportunities that I would not have felt comfortable doing before. It has also brought me out of my shell again, and I am able to make friends in my local community. It’s made a huge difference to my life overall. Thank you to all the team and guests at the projects, I get so much out of my volunteering and will continue to come along as often as possible. I can’t stress enough how going to FoodCycle is actually the highlight of my week.”
Stay in touch with the FoodCycle family. Sign-up to get the latest news, volunteering opportunities, events and updates sent to you every month. You can unsubscribe at any time.
🌍💚 It’s a BIG week… The Big Give Green Match Fund is here! 💚🌍
From today until 29th April, every donation to FoodCycle through The Big Give will be DOUBLED, helping us grow our environmental impact through community dining.
By turning surplus food into hot, healthy meals, we’re:
♻️ Tackling food waste
🌱 Cutting carbon emissions
🍽️ Feeding communities in need
In 2024, we saved 320 tonnes of food from waste, stopping 200,000kg of CO2 from entering the atmosphere. Imagine what we can do with YOUR help, doubled.
Donate today and be part of something greener, kinder and more connected.
Link in bio to give.
#donate #causes #giveback #socialgood #environment #biggive #thebiggive #foodcycle
Do you leave a treat out for Father Christmas? Well, the Easter Bunny deserves some love too. 🥕🐰
We think this carrot cake recipe is perfect for Easter weekend.
Did you know you can scale this recipe up or down by changing the number of portions?
Try it yourself via the link in the bio.
Make sure to tag us in any of your baking creations.
#CarrotCake #EasterBunny #EasterReciope #EasterTreat #Cakes #EasterFood #FoodCycle
Double your impact. Fight food waste. Feed communities. 💚
We’re thrilled to be part of The Big Give Green Match Fund, launching next Tuesday!
🌱 From 22nd to 29th April, every pound you donate to FoodCycle through The Big Give will be match-funded.
In partnership with the Environmental Funders Network (EFN), this incredible campaign supports charities tackling urgent environmental issues – and we’re proud to be one of them.
Your donations will help us:
🥦 Rescue surplus food
🍽️ Serve hot, nutritious meals
🤝 Bring communities together
Let’s turn food waste into something wonderful.
🔗 Find out more and get ready to donate via the link in the bio
#TheBigGive #GreenMatchFund #FoodCycle #Sustainable #Comunity #GreenProjects
Not into cooking? No problem!
You can support us and our projects in many ways, and cooking up a storm is just one of them.
You could:
🥕 Collect and deliver surplus food
🥕 Be a host and welcome people
🥕 Fundraise to support our vital work
Of course, you can get involved in the kitchen by cooking, preparing, cleaning up, and everything in between.
Got more questions about volunteering? Head over to the link in the bio
You can also help support us by following us and sharing our posts.
#Volunteer #Community #VolunteerOpportunities #VolunteerRoles #CommunityMeal
Thanks to your energy, compassion and dedication, our 2024 Impact Report is bursting with achievements worth celebrating 👏
Here’s what you helped make happen last year:
🍽️ 162,991 meals served, made from surplus food
🌍 320 tonnes of food saved from waste
💪 Over 8,700 volunteers gave 162,810 hours of their time
🏫 20 new projects launched, including 3 in schools
📈 30% more guests came to share food and conversation
🏆 We were named Charity of the Year – twice!
None of it would be possible without our amazing volunteer community. Whether you cooked, hosted, collected food or cheered us on – you’ve made a real, lasting difference.
Want to see the full impact, read inspiring guest stories and find out what’s next?
👉 Tap the link in bio
#FoodCycle #Sustainable #ImpactReport #Community #CommunityMeals #Landfill
A big shout out to the team at the Reading Project!
One of the guests reached out to offer some lovely words of support.
"Please mention the Reading team. They have not been going long, but they do an amazing job. All the volunteers are friendly and it is a lovely community. Thank you Reading!"
Well done to everyone involved with the Reading Project :-)
#Reading #ReadingCity #ReadingFoodcycle #Foodcycle #CommunityMeal
This week (and every week at FoodCycle) is National Food Waste Action Week. 🌎
So we just wanted to remind you that our community meals are cooked up using surplus food that was otherwise headed for the bin 😮
This week at our Kingstanding community meal 34 guests enjoyed a menu of...
🥕 Veggie loaded soup
🍝 Sunday roasts with Cauliflower cheese
🍰 Cake and Custard
Small changes make a BIG impact! Whether it`s blending come extra veg into soup or finding creative ways to use surplus ingredients, every action helps.
#FoodWasteActionWeek
Food Waste Action Week: Make the Most of Your Food! 🥕🍞🥦
Did you know that here at FoodCycle we have a whole section of delicious recipes to help you reduce food waste? From using up leftovers to making the most of every ingredient, our recipes are here to help you save food, money, and the planet!
Check them out now this #FoodWasteActionWeek and transform your extras into something extraordinary.
🔗 Link in bio!
💚 This #InternationalWomensDay, we’re celebrating the incredible women who give their time, energy, and passion to FoodCycle community meals.
#AccelerateAction, reminds us that real change happens when people step up. These inspiring volunteers do just that - taking action in their communities and making a real difference.
🌟 Joan – FoodCycle Middlesbrough Breckon Hill
Known as ‘Nan’ to many at her local FoodCycle project, (FoodCycle Breckon Hill in Middlesbrough), retired nurse Joan brings positive energy to everyone she meets as a hosting volunteer.
Joan says: “I like working with people, and feeling that I am being of some use. It’s wonderful, you meet lovely people and you’re helping your community… It’s just nice to know that you’ve helped somebody.”
🌟 Asli – FoodCycle Schools – Ark Globe, London
Asli is a FoodCycle hosting lead at the London school where she’s also a teacher. She finds joy in seeing pupils and their families coming together each week.
Asli says: “Ever since I first heard of it, I`ve been obsessed with FoodCycle! I just love the idea that we can make food out of what`s given to us, and share it with the community.”
🌟 Ashliegh – FoodCycle Salford
Ashleigh is a Project Leader, who has not only volunteered 270+ hours her local community meal, but also fundraised £3,000!
Ashleigh says: “FoodCycle is so important for our community because it brings people from all walks of life together. It’s for absolutely anyone and everyone, and we basically all just come together for one really lovely night and sit and have a chat and tell stories and swap stores and it really is just amazing.”
💚 To all the incredible women who power FoodCycle – thank you for your dedication, kindness, and action. You inspire us every day!
Want to join? Sign up to volunteer via #linkinbio
#FoodCycle #InternationalWomensDay #IWD2025 #Volunteering #Community
Registered charity No. 1134423 | Company limited by guarantee no. 7101349
Registered charity No. 1134423
Company limited by guarantee no. 7101349
