In praise of … FoodCycle

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/oct/02/in-praise-of-foodcycle-editorial

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It is an idea elegant in its simplicity: a few volunteers gather unwanted food from local supermarkets and businesses, devise a menu and cook it for the homeless, mentally ill people or others going hungry. Leftovers are put out for diners to take home. This is the model for FoodCycle, the charity that served its first meal only three years ago but has already expanded to 15 hubs, from Durham to (the latest arrival) Clacton-on-Sea in Essex. This is a project that tackles many sins: hunger and waste, obviously, but also the lack of skills (young volunteers are trained to run a kitchen) and the anomie of large cities. For all the plaudits FoodCycle has justifiably won (including David Cameron's), it relies on donations that can dry up. Last month, its community cafe in north London had to shut down when funding ran out. That old saw about there being no such thing as a free lunch still applies: volunteers have to sweat to feed their communities.