So how do you get hold of the food that you serve?
It’s mostly surplus. We have good relationships with the local supermarkets in Tooting and some in Brixton. We’ve built relationships with people that are throwing away food but we have a set time that we have to go and pick it up.
However, that doesn’t mean that we plan what we’re going to cook. Volunteers will turn up with lots of ideas and maybe it’s something we haven’t thought about. Especially if they’re Italian. Italian’s are like ‘it’s pasta and I’m cooking it’ and we’re like…’ok’.
I think most people are aware that there is a lot of food waste, but actually you don’t get confronted with it much. Is it worrying to see it first hand?
This is a weird analogy, but if you were a Paramedic you become a bit immune to the sight of blood. That’s how I feel about food waste because I see it a lot. The worst are the big supermarkets, because they’re throwing away so much food.
I know how much we can use, and we couldn’t utilise all of it, so we’re doing our part. If other people are willing to get involved I’m happy help them.
There is a lot of untapped potential, but there are a lot of charities and there’s a lot of people, they just need that system to work really well together. Also, I know from the supermarkets point of view, they can’t just have any old person come around and take the food. They need to be assured that it’s going to be used on the same day. That the people who are taking it are trained in food hygiene and health and also that they’re not going to sell it.
What have been the major challenges?
The people! How do you sell free food? They’re very distrustful. Why is it free? Do I look poor? Do I look homeless? What’s wrong with it? Nothing.
We did advertise at food banks but nobody came from them because of the stigma involved. By advertising there it was like we were targeting them. I mean, we were, but not just them, anyone really, and so they didn’t come. We’re not going to ask what people’s background is, we just want them to come. The only reason we know they didn’t come from a food bank is because we send out an anonymous questionnaire.
If I saw a sign outside this church saying free meal, I would think it’s not for me. So is that a mistake on my part? Is it for anyone?
It’s for anyone! Especially, in light of Brexit, I just imagine that in the future food is going to become even more expensive and people are going to need help. That’s the biggest stumbling block. Getting people to come in and eat the food.
Also, we used to explain to people on the street, it’s waste food, or surplus food, or food that was going to be thrown away and they assume it must be disgusting, often young people. I’ve got an apple here, with a mark on it, but I’ll just cut that bit off. They wouldn’t eat that because it’s not a perfect apple. So young people won’t eat surplus food and a lot of adults won’t eat free food.
We do work with National Citizen Service, so we get their young people every year, and we do a food waste project. We’ll tell them about food waste. Normally we’ll take the bike out around Brixton, we’ll cook the food earlier and then we’ll serve people. But we’ll also sit together and eat it and then hope that they’ll do their group project with a new understanding of food waste.
Do you think there’s an element of people being distrustful of not only the food, but also the fact that this one is in a church?
The project’s not religious at all, even though this one’s in a church. However, the Vicar does come and that’s actually really useful, because sometimes people come in and they need spiritual guidance. They’ll start telling us something and we’re not really qualified to advise them, but she’s a Vicar!