New volunteer project sharing skills and food
We have recently been running a six-week pilot project with our volunteers, exploring a new way of supporting our Community Fridge.
The aim is simple: to make sure we are offering food in a way that feels useful, dignified, and accessible, while creating meaningful opportunities for volunteers to learn, contribute, and build confidence in the kitchen.
Over the past few months, donations from supermarkets have become more unpredictable, with less food available to share. This has been disappointing for both volunteers and fridge visitors. It has also made it harder to offer a consistent and dignified service at times. In response, we wanted to try something different.
Through our meal prep sessions, volunteers are working together to turn surplus food and seasonal produce into nutritious, ready-to-eat meals for our Community Fridge. For some visitors, particularly those with limited cooking facilities, having something they can simply heat up in the microwave makes a real difference.
So far, nine volunteers have taken part, cooking a wide range of dishes including butter bean stew, veggie chilli, Thai vegetable curry, spiced soups, and fruit crumbles. Each session is hands-on and practical, with volunteers working in pairs, following recipes, and building their skills as they go. Some are also working towards REHIS Food Hygiene and Cooking Skills qualifications.
The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. Volunteers have told us they enjoy:
- cooking with others and learning new recipes
- being part of a team
- making meals that directly support their community
One volunteer shared that preparing food in this way made them feel “more useful” and gave them a real sense of purpose.
Staff have also seen confidence grow week by week, from learning how to follow a recipe, to developing knife skills, adapting meals, and supporting others in the group. Just as importantly, the sessions are social, creative, and enjoyable.
This pilot is also helping us look ahead. As we move into the growing season, we hope to use more produce from Ravenscraig Walled Garden and hopefully, from other local growers (especially during times of surplus) turning it into healthy, climate-friendly meals for the community. We’re also exploring ideas like simple recipe bags to help people cook at home.
At its heart, this project is about more than food. It’s about reducing waste, building skills, and making sure everyone can access good food in a way that feels welcoming and dignified.
We’ll be sharing more as the pilot comes to an end.
A big thank you to everyone who has supported the project from the volunteers making the meals to everyone who has taken a meal away to support our efforts to reduce food waste in the community and utilise seasonal and local produce.
Sally Findlay,
Community Food Team Manager
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