Compass Group UK & Ireland, the UK’s largest food and support services business, has announced a partnership with the charity FoodCycle. The partnership not only sees Compass provide a grant through the newly launched Compass Group Foundation, but also will see its teams fundraise, volunteer and train FoodCycle cooking volunteers.
FoodCycle was set up to tackle food poverty, loneliness and food waste. It provides weekly community dining, using food donations from the local communities it works in. It runs community meals at 66 locations around the country and is looking to expand further this year. Last year the charity saved 208 tonnes of food from going to waste and their network of volunteers across the country turned that food in to 495,930 meals* for those who needed a hot meal and a warm space.
The grant will help fund FoodCycle’s training and development of volunteers, ensuring FoodCycle has a strong volunteer base, trained to offer high quality of service to its guests. In the past two months, Compass chefs have been visiting some of the community centres, supporting the community meals as volunteers. The Business and Industry culinary team have also been finding out more about the meals being cooked and providing advice and guidance on meal options and will be running cooking sessions to teach volunteers new skills, hints and tips in the kitchen.
Commenting on the partnership, Ryan Holmes, B&I Culinary Director, Compass Group UK & Ireland said: “We are delighted to be working with FoodCycle. Their whole ethos around food waste, supporting local communities and using food to bring people together aligns perfectly with our business. It’s been so inspiring meeting the FoodCycle team and many of their volunteers in recent months, as well as volunteering at some of their sites. We are looking forward to sharing recipe ideas and providing further support to the teams. They are a vital lifeline to so many people in the communities they work – whether it’s people looking for companionship or suffering from food poverty.”
Mary McGrath, FoodCycle, CEO added: “With more people than ever having to make the difficult decision as to whether to heat their home or eat, FoodCycle has become a lifeline to many people. 64% of our guests worry that they don’t have enough money to buy the food they need but 90% said they feel well fed after attending FoodCycle and 81% said they feel less lonely. So, we are delighted to be working with the Compass Group, their support will help us expand even further and reach many more people and communities.”
