Renting a van or a premises was out of the question. I had also learned from watching others that this is a trap. It would be no good falling into a situation of spending and needing to recoup, or of starting out with costs to cover before being able to meet any of our aims. It’s not sustainable. It seemed that an existing business allowing us to use their premises or acting as a host was going to be the best way forward. I became aware of the Real Junk Food project through Twitter and a friend who hosted one of our dinner club meetings. Around December they put something out to help start a network and I became aware of their progress through the publicity. I don’t watch TV but noticed a lot of media interest in the Food Revolution, as I call it. I applied for more information and began to think more about the cafés and the different ways they had started. I was particularly keen to keep it as grassroots as possible so we would have a real foundation of support.
I asked in my local café, Little Mo’s of Scawsby, if they would be interested in hosting such an event and their reaction took me by surprise: “Yes - this week or next?” Well, strike while the iron’s hot and make the most of it, I thought. I made a Facebook event for the evening and, as confidence grew, our fan page for The Real Junk Food Project Doncaster was launched. I came across Food Aware CIC whilst searching for numbers for shelters that would take excess food should we have any, and gave them a ring. It seemed an ideal connection and they were very helpful, offering immediately to sponsor our first event. Food Aware intercept food that would be waste and take it to the people who need it in local areas. They run some of our local food banks. On the day of our first PAYF Café we created our first Real Junk Food menu from our Food Aware donations. It was a fun experience and it felt good that we were all in it together, none of us having done
this before. We saved 93kgs of food from landfill, turning waste into energy in the most efficient way - by serving people hot, nutritious meals. We fed 25 bellies rather than bins, met some amazing people and had a brilliant time. We are planning a monthly event, but I have sneaking feeling it will grow to more than that. Unserved meals were packaged and taken to M25 Housing and Support Services. We have our community PAYF café - no costs, no budget, just people doing it and inspiring others. I keep pinching myself. The food revolution is happening and it’s happening at Little Mo’s in Scawsby. The next PAYF Café will take place at Little Mo’s on 27th March. Facebook : The Real Junk Food Project Doncaster email: tcup@ymail.com tweet: @fee0na instagram: elysian daisies End
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