FoodCycle Lewisham - a Lewisham Local Project

FoodCycle Lewisham offers a three-course community meal for all, twice a week, using surplus food from local businesses and allotment growers.  

Our work supports the environment and local sustainability efforts by ‘recycling’ food destined for waste, while feeding people experiencing food insecurity and loneliness.

To provide continuity for our service users through the winter, we are seeking support from our community to help support the service.

The need for a community meal in Lewisham is clear. 

Guest numbers have more than doubled since the onset of the pandemic in 2020. Today, 85 guests on our Saturday meal, and between 40 and 50 for our Wednesday meal (in partnership with Lewisham Irish Community Centre).

 In 2024 we have served 4466 meals, compared with 2671 the year before. In the same time frame, the volume of surplus food salvaged has increased from 5313kg to 6473kg.

Against this backdrop of rising demand for the service, and enhanced scale within it, and the resulting increase in costs, FoodCycle Lewisham is seeking to raise £8,000 from the community.

Our primary expenses include staff co-ordinator time and the purchase of food and kitchen supplies for the provision of meals.

The need for our services has surged since 2020 due to the pandemic’s long-lasting effects on people’s lifestyle and health; alongside the ongoing cost-of-living crisis, with guest numbers more than doubling and meal distributions increasing 67% in the last year alone.

When surveying our service users, we found that 80% felt happier after attending FoodCycle, with 75% reporting they ‘usually ate alone’ – two-thirds (64%) felt less lonely while three-quarters (75%) said they felt more a part of their community.

We know that this meal makes a huge difference in the lives of our guests, and strengthens our community in more ways than one.

Seven-in-ten (70%) told us they ate more fruit and vegetables as a result of the meal, while 80% felt FoodCycle helped them pay their bills and have an extra meal during the week.

Our proposal seeks to ensure we can continue providing free, nourishing meals twice weekly to the individuals and families who need it most this winter.

Even the smallest donation can make a big difference:

£10 could help us buy additional staple ingredients needed to turn surplus food into a delicious meal. 

£20 could provide teas and coffees for our guests for two weeks.

A generous donation of £120 could cover the cost of hiring the kitchen and hall for one week to feed the community for two full meals.