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We are FoodCycle, and our vision is to make food poverty, loneliness and food waste a thing of the past for every community.
We connect communities, reducing loneliness and food poverty – working with thousands of volunteers and surplus food to help everyone who needs us. By creating welcoming spaces for people from all walks of life to meet, eat and have conversations, we are supporting people’s health and mental wellbeing.
By cooking with surplus ingredients, we promote healthy, sustainable attitudes towards food and its impact on the environment, and help people to learn more about healthy food.
We aim to inspire greater change by sharing the impact of our community dining spaces and the voices of our guests to encourage more people to join and support FoodCycle, so we can help more people and more communities.
Week in, week out we feed the hungry and give company to the lonely in our communities with delicious meals and great conversation, using food which would otherwise go to waste.
Connect communities
Help strengthen and build resilient communities by bringing people together to share healthy, delicious meals.
Support mental health, wellbeing and reduce loneliness
Enhance the health and mental wellbeing of all by creating welcoming spaces for people from all backgrounds and walks of life to have conversations together.
Nourish the hungry
Improve nutrition and reduce hunger by cooking healthy meals for those in need, leading to improved food knowledge and changes in behaviour.
Promote sustainability
Change attitudes to food and society’s impact on the environment by cooking with surplus ingredients.
Inspire change
Share the virtues of our community dining model and the voices of our guests to gain greater support and speed our expansion, enabling us to help more people and more communities.
saved from going to waste.
162,810 hours of their time.
said that they have met people from different backgrounds
At FoodCycle we are working in support of the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by tackling food poverty, food waste, bringing communities together and supporting health and wellbeing.
Our work delivers against six of the UN Sustainable Development Goals: No Poverty, Zero Hunger, Good Health and Well-being, Reduced Inequalities, Responsible Consumption and Production and Climate Action
At FoodCycle we are working in support of the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by tackling food poverty, food waste, bringing communities together and supporting health and wellbeing.
Our work delivers against six of the UN Sustainable Development Goals: No Poverty, Zero Hunger, Good Health and Well-being, Reduced Inequalities, Responsible Consumption and Production and Climate Action
Everyone is welcome at FoodCycle. Whatever your reason for needing a meal, you are welcome to join us. Some people come for the food. Some people come for the company. No matter your background, you’ll be greeted warmly by our friendly volunteers.
Find your nearest FoodCycle location.
We kindly ask, that when joining us for a meal you follow our community meal guidelines (what we call our Project Agreement).
If you are over 18, yes! We have a number of different roles from welcoming our guests, cooking up a storm in the kitchen, helping collect surplus food or managing regional social media pages. All volunteers must be over 18 and no specific experience is required.
Visit our volunteer page for more information and to sign up.
We go where we’re needed to provide support for the people who benefit from our services, from older guests to refugees and asylum seekers, homeless people and those affected by mental ill health or tight budgets. We look for areas that could benefit from our community dining model, and where we might find a steady source of willing volunteers and local businesses happy to donate surplus food.
Most importantly, we start a conversation – working with local organisations to provide insight on the needs and problems facing each community’s residents. We monitor and evaluate carefully to ensure all our Projects are effective, nourish as many people as possible and strengthen the community from within.
If you would like to ask about setting up a FoodCycle in your area please complete our location enquiry form.
Food poverty is the inability to get enough healthy, affordable food. This can be due to lack of income, poor transport to local shops, knowledge about what constitutes a healthy diet, or the skills to create healthy meals.
Food poverty is a complex mix of factor factors, but they result in people on low incomes having the lowest intakes of fruit and vegetables and being far more likely to suffer from diet-related diseases such as cancer, diabetes, obesity and coronary heart disease.
FoodCycle isn’t a food bank. Food banks will provide items to be taken home to cook. FoodCycle runs Community Meals, which means we invite people to come and sit with us, around a table and enjoy a hot, nutritious meal. Our meals are served with warmth and dignity by friendly volunteers in a welcoming environment. Our weekly community dining service not only helps tackle food poverty but it also helps alleviate loneliness by bringing the community together.
Surplus food is food which is fit for human consumption, but has no commercial value for the retailer. This food, which may ultimately go to waste, may have become damaged in transit, might be past its ‘best before’ date or might have been over-ordered. It’s still perfectly good food, and we put it to good use.
In the UK, an estimated 12 million tonnes of food is wasted each year at all levels from plough to plate whilst 4 million people are affected by food poverty. At least 400,000 tonnes of this food is thrown away at retail level. At FoodCycle, we’re doing something about this by making use of edible food to create nutritious three-course meals for those who need it.
FoodCycle works with supermarkets, small independent grocery shops and markets to source perfectly edible surplus food in a safe and responsible way. We only reclaim fresh fruit and vegetables and we purchase extra ingredients such as dried foods and spices to make our meals as balanced and nutritious as possible.
We are only able to accept food donations from supermarkets, small independent grocery shops and markets. We can take fresh produce (e.g. fruit, vegetables and bread) and dried goods (e.g. pasta, lentils and spices). We are unable to accept meat, fish, food past its use by date, or ready-prepared foods, such as doughnuts, sandwiches or microwave meals.
We are unable to accept donations or small quantities from individuals – if you are looking to donate food, contact our friends at Plan Zheroes, Trussell Trust or Olio.
We will always try our best to cater for those with food allergies or intolerances. However due to the nature of cooking with donated food (and not knowing what we have to cook with until the day), there may be occasions where we are unable to offer alternative dishes.
Our volunteers undergo allergen training and keep a log of any allergens that may be in the meals. Those with a food allergy or intolerance should inform a volunteer as soon as they arrive and the team will do their best to cater for them.
FoodCycle only serves meat-free food. The practical and legal hurdles to obtaining and serving meat and fish are substantial, and we couldn’t access it in the safe and easy way we can with fruit and vegetables. More importantly, by serving meat-free food, our meals are accessible to people of all cultures and religions.
Want to help us create a society where no-one is hungry or lonely? Visit our fundraising page for a menu of ideas for getting involved and raising vital cash.
Subscribe to get the latest news, volunteering opportunities, events and updates sent to your inbox each month. You can unsubscribe at any time.
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
What a wonderful evening serving 23 guests at Prestwich.
Using surplus food our incredible team of volunteers served...
🥕 Thickly sliced root vegetable soup with bread
🥗 Italian pesto with @Quorn_uk, paprika, roasted potatoes, and a fresh side salad
🍎 Fruit salad with chocolate ice cream
Special shoutout to Lauren and Veronica for doing an incredible job hosting for the first time - well done!
Join your local team today 🔗 Link in bio
Registered charity No. 1134423 | Company limited by guarantee no. 7101349
Registered charity No. 1134423
Company limited by guarantee no. 7101349