A COMMUNITY project in Yaxley that started as a way of reducing food waste expanded during the pandemic and now supports around 120 families every week. This has increased from 15-20 households, with double the amount of fresh food in each bag.
One of the volunteers behind the Community Fridge is Conservative district ward councillor Kevin Gulson who invited us down to meet some of the team. Arriving early one morning we found The Pavilion in Middleton's Road was a hive of activity, helpers unloading supplies and packing bags with fruit, vegetables, bread, cake and eggs.
Kev told us: "The scheme depends on the support of an extensive network of supermarkets and other retailers who provide surplus food that would otherwise be destroyed." Volunteers go out weekly to collect supplies while local farmers, including fellow district councillor Eric Butler, donate staple crops like potatoes, carrots and onions. One volunteer even built a set of cupboards to increase storage space.
Residents going on holiday donate the contents of their fridge while the local primary school has been known to donate excess produce from its 'Grow and Cook' programme. From time to time there are sweet treats and flowers given out at random to the queues of people who arrive there on the dot when the bags are given out twice a week.
Now in its fourth year, inspiration for the project came from the parish council as part of a wider initiative to encourage residents to recycle, repair and re-use rather than throwing away. Clerk Helen Taylor said: "This project is about making a positive environmental impact by re-directing surplus food away from landfill, while supporting those in need... it works on many levels."
Collecting the supplies is a major task much of which is managed by a charity called Food for Nought, whose founder Cocoa Fowler was recognised last year in a list of Change Makers drawn up by The Big Issue. Cocoa collects and delivers to food banks and community fridges around Peterborough and Huntingdon... read more about him here
Back in The Pavilion food bags are weighed to ensure fairness and careful records maintained on every aspect of this highly efficient operation. The log shows that since April last year over 22 tonnes of food has been given away that would otherwise have been destroyed. The Yaxley model differs from other community fridges as supplies are packed and weighed so each bag contains similar contents rather than inviting people to pick what they want. Cooking tips are provided if requested! It has attracted interest from other areas with at least two projects now up and running in March and Huntingdon.
Families welcome this approach with one telling us: "It's like getting a goodie bag full of surprises." Another said she had once found a vegetable she had never seen before which turned out to be celeriac. "Once I knew what to do with it, I loved it," she added. nor should the social aspect be underestimated as new friends are made and sense of community strengthened.
Last word must go to parish council chairman Rodney Butcher: "We couldn't do this without the support of volunteers, suppliers and villagers who help us out in all kinds of ways; big thanks go to you all."
Photo: Cllr Kevin Gulson (second left) with some of the volunteers at Yaxley Community Fridge
