Hello Sheffield! A fresh start for ShefFood
Hello Sheffield. If my name looks familiar, it might be because I used to write these columns before taking time off on maternity leave. To returning readers, I hope you are pleased to see me back; to anyone new, a warm welcome! As the Communications Coordinator for ShefFood, Sheffield's food partnership, I am stepping back into a role and a local movement that has undergone some exciting shifts while I have been away.
ShefFood has officially found a new home with Voluntary Action Sheffield (VAS), supported by Public Health at Sheffield City Council. As the home of Sheffield's Good Food Movement, our collective brings together growers, community food providers, businesses, public sector workers, and researchers. Together, we are working towards a more just and sustainable food system that brings communities together, boosts local economies, and keeps us all healthier.
Over June and July, we got straight down to business with reconnection workshops across our working groups. Some inspiring ideas came up, like shared distribution vans and central community kitchens with the Community Food group. There was also talk of expanding growing plots in North Sheffield, starting community composting with the Growing and Composting group, and pushing for local schools to source their food locally and ensure automatic free school meal registration through the Good Food Economy group. We topped off these sessions with our Good Food Movement Re-launch Event at The Circle on 8 July, bringing people together for stalls, talks, games, and local catering from RadMash to celebrate the sheer volume of grassroots effort across Sheffield.
Looking ahead, real action is our main ingredient this year. We are shifting to a seasonal model, where each season features a specific theme to give our city a clear goal to rally around. To kick this off, we are launching our brand-new Fast Food series. We are reclaiming that phrase to showcase quick, impactful stories of community projects feeding people across Sheffield. Following five-minute showcases from local groups at our relaunch event, we will be sharing video clips, articles, and social spotlights celebrating these local food heroes.
There is plenty more on the horizon, including upcoming events and opportunities to join our expanded Steering Group. To stay in the loop with all our latest events, news and campaign call-outs, make sure to sign up for our newsletter on the ShefFood website, sheffood.org.uk. You can also follow our journey on Facebook and Instagram at @sheffoodsocial. It is good to be back at the table!