New community meal launched in Sheffield to address food waste, food poverty and community cohesion​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

One of the organisers, Greg Hewitt, approached community organisation Foodhall to set up the meals in order to help address food waste, food poverty and create community cohesion. The community meals have also been set up as a memory of ‘Zaz’, a popular figure in the vegan community whose passion was to bring people together to enjoy vegan food in Sheffield, and who sadly passed away a few weeks ago.

Vegetarian and vegan meals are cooked up on the first Sunday of the month by volunteers who use surplus food which would have otherwise been thrown away. The meals run on a ‘contribute what you can’ basis, with a suggested minimum donation of £2.50 adults / £1.50 kids, however anyone who doesn’t have money will not be turned away. Organisers say that the meals are a great way to enjoy eating out without the financial constraints of eating at a restaurant.

Greg said: “The recent increase in the cost of living is making some people choose between turning on the heating or cooking a meal, so coming out to enjoy a delicious three course hot meal can make a huge difference to a lot of people, without having to worry about money. And at the same time, attendees can feel great that they’ve helped save food that was otherwise destined for the bin.”

Jim Skeize, a non-executive director of Foodhall, said: “Eating is such a great common activity and getting people together who have been isolated for so long during the covid period, can turn out to be such a good thing for their mental health. Life is going to get pretty tough for some people in the next few years and by having that cheap and better option can be a way for them to cope with these coming hard times.”

Foodhall Sunday Social runs on the first Sunday of the month at Foodhall, 62 Brown Street.

People going along can arrive from 5pm for hot drinks and chat, with food served from 6pm. Attendees are recommended to book their place via Eventbrite https://www.eventbrite.com/e/313226397587