Last Food in Community ‘pay what you feel’ lunch of 2015 December 5th

The past year has been an important one for Food in Community CIC. In a way we've had to go back to basics as grant funding came to an end. The challenge of self funding has been an interesting and mainly positive experience; it's made us revisit our core beliefs and vision; to become more inventive, and more canny with budgeting. To develop a much stronger and wonderfully dedicated volunteer base that has enabled us to imagine future projects that will cover their own costs, and therefore able to be rolled out, extended, and repeated. An example of this is the 'pay what you feel' lunchtime cafe at the Methodist church hall in Totnes, and thoughts to making this a monthly event next year.

Our sort-through of surplus veg has continued weekly without fail, and around 40 boxes are delivered to local individuals, groups and organisations that put it to good use. Some are able to contribute financially on a regular basis. As is the gleaning project which continues to build as we develop relationships with landowners and farmers, and offers volunteers an enjoyable few hours collecting unwanted organic crops from the field and taking some home for themselves.

Fund raising has taken place throughout the year, at events such as the Rotary canoe festival, the Mayor's Charity Picnic, Dartington's Family day and, more recently, at the Sharpham Apple Day, where we sold apple fritters. Plans for future events include an evening community cafe, a drop-in reminiscence group centred on the subject of food, and food preserving in all its forms. As well as reaching out to other like-minded groups and organisations and together delivering something special to the community. I hope you will come and have lunch with us on December 5th, and experience for yourself - if you haven't already - the wonderful food we have prepared from ingredients that would otherwise have gone to waste. In addition to the food and acoustic live music, there will be a fundraising raffle to help Syrian refugees on the Greek islands. If you'd like to help out we'd love to hear from you.

David Markson, Food in Community CIC - dmarkson at hotmail.co.uk