In case anyone is inclined to think this post includes swearing, I’ll put your mind at rest: the only Fs involved are Fuel for Schools and Freegle.
This morning, a text came from my daughter’s school explaining that there would be a Fuel for Schools stall before lessons started. So, when I dropped her off, much to her dismay I accompanied her onto the school playground to see what I might be able to pick up in the way of food.
Fuel for Schools is run by The Real Junk Food Project. They collect the food that supermarkets are throwing out and, amongst other activities, have stalls at schools, where you pay as you feel for the food that you take. The proceeds are then donated to the schools.
Of course, this is great for the schools involved, as cash is always a bonus when the state doesn’t provide. However, it goes without saying that it is also great to save food from landfill. And I’m not averse to dates, cranberry sauce, apples and flour which are all within date/still fresh.
As if this wasn’t enough of a bonanza, after my daughter’s piano lesson this evening we went to pick up 2000ml of emollient cream which will be perfect for my psoriatic hands. This was still in date as well, simply surplus to requirements. So, good old Freegle has helped to save yet more wanted goods from landfill.
I worked out that if I had paid the full cost for all these goods it would have come in at upwards of £50. But factoring in the goodwill created as well as the saving to the environment, I am having a jubilant moment indeed.
And the plastic you tear off the emollient pots to unseal them can be used as ties for plants, the pots themselves for growing things in. Not that I haven’t got enough of these…. my incumbent shed is going to be overflowing before I’ve even bought it!
What an interesting program. I’ve never heard anything quite like that. Score for you, Helen, and for the school.
Definitely a win-win situation. I wish now that I had ‘bought’ more boxes of the dates as my daughter loves them!
What an interesting programme, I’ll have to google it now. And great tip about re-using the plastic ties, hadn’t thought of that one 🙂
I would be interested to know if The Real Junk Food Project exists outside the Leeds area.