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Nov 2022
Stray Ferret Christmas Appeal 2022: Help ensure nobody goes hungry this Christmas
This year's Stray Ferret Christmas Appeal is for Resurrected Bites in Harrogate and Knaresborough. Please read Vicky's story about the charity below and give generously to support local people who are struggling this Christmas. They need your help.
This Christmas, there are local people – colleagues, neighbours, friends – young, elderly and working age people -- who will not be able to put food on their tables.
There is help at hand from local organisation Resurrected Bites – but it’s facing a tough time too.
Just weeks ago, it warned it faced an uncertain future: its own costs are rising, the amount being donated had dropped, and more and more people are looking for help.
That’s why, from now until Christmas, the Stray Ferret is calling on everyone to give their support to this vital local organisation to help us secure its future.
All donations go directly to Resurrected Bites and will be generously match-funded by Harrogate firm Techbuyer, up to the value of £5,000.
Over the next four weeks, I'll bring you stories that show just how important the work of Resurrected Bites is. Please read them, share them, and donate whatever you can.
The story of Resurrected Bites
It was this realisation that prompted Michelle Hayes to do something to make a difference across the Harrogate district.
The former research scientist founded a food waste café as part of her role as mission and outreach worker, employed by St Mark’s Church but covering the whole of Harrogate.
Resurrected Bites began life in 2018 in the foyer of the church on Leeds Road, using food from supermarkets and some local hospitality businesses which would otherwise be thrown away. There was nothing wrong with the food, other than perhaps passing its ‘best before’ guidance date – but it would have ended up in a bin.
She was inspired by the Real Junk Food Project in Leeds, founded by Adam Smith. Not only was it reducing food waste, it was making a significant difference to people. Michelle said:
The Harrogate café proved to be a success. Not only did it reduce food waste across the Harrogate area, it provided hot meals on a pay-as-you-feel basis to local people, and offered an opportunity to soclialise too.
Michelle turned it into a community interest company, meaning it is run for the benefit of the community and its income is used to continue this work.
Expansion
In 2020, Resurrected Bites began to expand, with a second café at Gracious Street Methodist Church in Knaresborough launching in January, followed by a third at West Park United Reformed Church, in early March.
Then, of course, everything changed.
The arrival of covid meant the cafes all had to close immediately, but Michelle and the small team of volunteers knew there was still a role for them. They began distributing food parcels to the many local people who suddenly found themselves out of work and short on money.
Just a fraction of the food donated to Resurrected Bites every week during covid lockdownsAt the height of covid, they were intercepting three tonnes of food waste every week and ensuring it reached people who would otherwise not have enough to eat.
Michelle said:
Community groceries
While restrictions were still in place, Michelle began working on the next stage of the project: community groceries.
Using the same principle as the cafés of taking food that was still perfectly edible but would not be sold commercially, they were designed to help households who could not afford enough food.
The community groceries allow people to choose their own food from the shelves. Members pay a small fee - £3 for a household up to three, £6 for four or more people – and for that can select a set number of fresh, frozen and packaged goods, as well as toiletries and household products.
Two groceries opened in autumn 2021, at Gracious Street and New Park Community Hub. Demand has grown enormously in the year since, as their reputation has spread.
The number of customers at the cafés has also risen and there are plans in place to open a third, in Killinghall, in the new year. Michelle said:
It’s clear the cafés and groceries are badly needed. With the cost of living crisis hitting and recession looming, that need is only likely to grow.
It already costs £7,500 every month to deliver those vital services. Please donate to the Stray Ferret's Christmas appeal to ensure Resurrected Bites can continue supporting people who badly need it in 2023 and beyond.
Nobody in the Harrogate district should go hungry this Christmas.
Whatever you can donate will help local people to feed themselves – and prevent food waste too.
Just £10 can pay for a family's weekly shopping in the community grocery. Click here to contribute now.
Read more:
- Food waste organisation Resurrected Bites warns it could close
- Volunteer sets up artisan market in Knaresborough to support food waste charity
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