The real junk food project

What they do :

 

Pay As You Feel Cafes. Food is prepared and served to anyone who wants to go and eat there, people pay as they feel with their money or time. 

Example:

"Fur Clemt became the 2nd TRJFP cafe in August 2014. It serves gourmet food alongside wholesome, healthy family meals made by a qualified and trainee chef and up to 15 volunteers per day with a range of abilities.

With over 500 volunteer hours committed per month, and over 500 footfall per week, Fur Clemt supports up to 40 different organisations per week."

Sharehouses: Sharehouses don't usually prepare or cook food, but make it available for people to collect and consume elsewhere. People pay as they feel with their money or time to help cover the costs of intercepting and redistributing the excess food, and running the Sharehouse itself.

Example:

"TRJFP Sheffield's Sharehouse Market first opened on Christmas Eve 2016, for 12 days, and re-opened in the New Year of 2017. The Sharehouse Market has increased it's operation over the last 12 months and is now open six days a week from 12-2pm serving customers from all over Sheffield. There is a 2 bag limit per person with items such as bread and excess vegetables unlimited."

Fuel for School: The education arm of The Real Junk Food Project. Based out of the Sharehouses, Fuel For School (F4S) partners with local schools to provide intercepted food to feed their students with, and to help educate children about food and how to avoid waste.

Example:

"Fuel for School kicked off in Bradford with a visit by the head and deputy head of Christchurch Academy, Shipley to Saltaire Canteen just before Christmas in 2015. In true TRJFP style just a matter of days later in January deliveries started to the school giving every child breakfast on Monday and Tuesday.

There was also enough to put out a market stall on a Friday for parents to take good quality intercepted food. An immediate improvement in attendance and punctuality on those days was noted.

Breakfasts were soon provided every day - with the food provided by Fuel For School being supplemented by food purchased from donations made at the market stall.

Significantly, attendance continued to improve. This was an important factor in the school obtaining an improved OFSTED rating later in that year.

The school went on to develop further initiatives - creating recipes with the children and starting a vegetable growing project.

The school noted that the breakfasts established a calm, welcoming start to the morning with the market stall providing a strong and positive impact on the wider community.

From this small beginning Fuel for School rapidly established itself in Bradford and now works with 24 schools reaching 7000-8000 children every week.

I just wanted to email and send a huge thanks to you and everyone else involved in the Fuel for School project. It has made a massive difference to the children and families at Christ Church Academy in so many ways.

- Richard Ireland, Deputy Headmaster, Christ Church Academy"