Marie – Volunteer

Meet Marie, who has channelled her love of cooking for a large family into helping transform surplus food into tasty free community meals, at FoodCycle Birmingham Kingstanding.  

She enjoys the creative challenge of inventing a three course menu using surplus food – and says seeing guests leave happy with full tummies, is what keeps her coming back each week. 

Marie won FoodCycle’s Regional Volunteer of the Year award for the Midlands, presented in partnership with the Marsh Charitable Trust, in 2024. Nominated by fellow FoodCycle volunteers and staff, one said: “Marie is a spectacular cook who also brings her Caribbean background into the meals she prepares, producing amazing flavours, alongside all the other cooks, the dishes are amazing.” Another wrote: “Her selfless contributions continue to inspire those around her, making a profound impact on the Kingstanding community.” 

Marie will turn 60 in July 2026, and volunteered almost 500 hours to FoodCycle (478.92 as of end June 2026). She fits volunteering around her busy family life, and a full time job recruiting and training bus drivers.  

How long have you been volunteering with FoodCycle and what’s your role? 

I started as a cooking volunteer with FoodCycle in September 2021, and I became a project leader helping lead the cooking team two years ago. 

What motivated you to get involved with FoodCycle? 

I love cooking anyway, and I just wanted to do something different to get out in the community, and make a difference through offering my spare time to a good cause. 

There are so many people out there who are struggling, and FoodCycle makes a big difference in people’s lives.  

I think it’s good for your health to do things to keep your brain active, and get involved with what’s going on out there.   

I volunteer because it boosts self-esteem, it creates a strong sense of purpose, and it reduces stress too. Volunteering helps me stay active and feel connected. I enjoy being part of something meaningful. 

I also enjoy helping fight food waste by cooking surplus that would go to landfill. We take food that would otherwise go in the bins, and then we think of a nice meal, and it comes out beautiful! 

What were your first impressions of coming to a FoodCycle community meal? 

I used to be a bit shy, so I wanted to get out of my comfort zone and try and get involved with something different.  

I was absolutely amazed by what the volunteers had done with all that food that would have gone to waste. To see what you can get out of it – a three course meal, something hot, something hearty. It’s really good! 

What keeps you coming back to volunteer with FoodCycle? 

The impact on the guests is so important to me. When you’re cooking and you come out of the kitchen, and you see how happy they are, that’s wonderful. They always say ‘oh, thank you so much, it’s been a beautiful meal’.  

It’s great that they just want to come in, sit down, have a chat and have a meal. 

What do you enjoy about cooking with FoodCycle? 

I enjoy that it’s all surplus food that comes in, and you’ve got to invent the dishes on the day. It’s all about thinking of what you can do with what you have, coming up with different ideas, thinking of different ways to cook vegetables. 

Before this I just cooked for the family, because I have a big family, so if there’s any parties or anything going on I used to be the cook for the family gatherings. I’ve always liked cooking for lots of people.  

I’m also glad that any peelings and scraps we have left after cooking, someone collects it and takes it to a farm for the animals, so it’s not going to waste. 

Has volunteering with FoodCycle made a difference in your life? 

I’ve met so many people through FoodCycle, and we’ve become friends for life. We meet up outside of FoodCycle as well. It’s really nice. 

How do you think your life would be without FoodCycle? 

I think I’d be quite bored without FoodCycle now! Because I know I’m going to cook on Saturday, I’m thinking in advance: ‘I wonder what vegetables, I’m gonna get, and what I’m going to cook this week ‘, and I’m looking up different ideas for things I can do, so it’s always on my mind, because I’m thinking ahead.  

Do you think you’re making a difference in your community through FoodCycle? 

Yes. All the guests that that I see on a Saturday are so appreciative. You can see how happy that they are when they come in, and at the end they come and say thank you, and things like ‘I don’t know what I would do without you’. 

Often they get a bag to take away if we have leftovers, so they are very, very happy. 

I think we’re helping people by just sitting down and having a conversation. There are quite a few older people who come. They love to come in and get warm, and chat, and have a nice meal, and they leave happy, that they’ve got a nice full tummy. 

What would you say to anyone who’s thinking about volunteering with FoodCycle? 

I would say give it a try, and I think you you’ll be amazed how you feel after the first session. That’s why we keep coming back, because it gives you a sense of achievement, that you’ve done something and you’ve helped. 

You don’t need any experience, it’s really easy. We’re all like a family, and even if you’ve not done it before we can help you, and we can teach you. You could even become a project leader and help run the sessions!