Marylebone Community Meal: providing a warm space

Aim

To provide a free three course meal in a safe and warm space to the local community in the colder months due to rising energy and food costs

Marylebone Community Meal (also known as FoodCycle Marylebone) has been providing free three course meals to the local community for over five years. We receive food donations which are diverted from landfill thanks to  a local charity partnership. However, due to an increased demand on the charities alleviating food poverty, we are all receiving fewer food donations.

With rising food and energy costs, our local community of Lisson Green and Church Street rely on us providing a free hot three course meal, a safe warm space to meet people, a food surplus bag with fresh bread and other essentials and takeaway boxes of leftovers.  

The teams of volunteers who cook and host on a weekly basis prepare and serve the meal to the community with friendliness, dignity, respect and enthusiasm. Most of the team are working full time jobs and then volunteer for several hours after work in order that we can provide a regular service on which the community depends.

Our vision is to build on the existing business (Tesco, M&S)  and charity partnerships (Greenhouse Sports and West London Synagogue) and community relationships (Newpin, North Paddington Youth Club) to extend the life of the project beyond the immediate crisis. By doing this we continue to build community cohesion, fight social isolation and reduce food poverty. At the same time, we are aiming to be as eco-friendly and sustainable as possible by only using recyclable packaging and recycling all of our food waste.

This project successfully funded on 25th January 2023