A campaign to end food poverty in Huddersfield using surplus food has been launched.
Doreen Reid, a businesswoman from Birkby, is already getting local supermarkets to donate their unwanted stock to her new Huddersfield Real Junk Food Project, through which she is delivering much-needed essentials to those in need.
Based on a similar premise to the project of the same name in Dewsbury, she hopes her voluntary service, which she is being helped with by 12 volunteers, will also stop unnecessary food waste by food retailers in the area.
Former accounts manager Doreen, 47, who will fit the project around her fundraising role for London Air Ambulance, said: “I’ve only being doing this for six weeks but it’s already really taking off.
“I used to volunteer for a soup kitchen and that inspired me to start up something similar and it evolved into this project.
“I knew about Huddersfield Mission and the Welcome Centre, who both do great work in feeding struggling people but I thought there was a gap I could fill regarding people who are struggling to eat well but don’t qualify for free food parcels.
“I met up with community teams at Sainsburys Shorehead and Market Street and Morrisons in Meltham, who all agreed to get on board.
“Now I go pick up food from them then deliver it to groups that I’ve linked in with, such as old people’s services and refugee support group Huddersfield Town of Sanctuary.”
Doreen has also turned her attention to feeding Huddersfield’s students and has linked up with University of Huddersfield’s Student Union to launch a weekly pay as you feel lunch.
“I was on a low income when my daughter went to university and know that some students are up to their eyeballs in debt because of living costs.
“I talked to student executives Alysia Ford and Suzy Crossley and they were happy to set something up so from October 1 we will use university kitchens to make lunches then serve it up in the main plaza on a pay as you feel basis.”
Doreen also hopes to open up a pay as you feel cafe in the centre of town.
“I’m already looking at suitable venues and am being helped out by Kirklees Community Partnership team and other services who want to link in with what the project hopes to do.
“It will be open to everyone but especially those in hardship and my dream is to up Christmas dinner to isolated people this December”.
Anyone interested in volunteering should email her at trjfphuddersfield@yahoo.com.
For more information, visit www.facebook.com/therealjunkfoodprojecthuddersfield
