Surplus to Supper – No Parts of the County Left Unserved.
Suzanne and I had enjoyed the hospitality of Surplus to Supper at my predecessor, Shahid’s Summer Party last year But it was wonderful to return to find out more about the charity and how fast it is growing. I grew up in the Hampton and Sunbury area so it is always good to take a trip down Memory Lane, but I remember the pockets of deprivation that existed then and sadly still exist today. Surplus for Supper sources and distributes surplus food to those in need and fund-raises for local food banks and other charities. We were shown round by Andrew Osborne the Founder and CEO and introduced to both staff and the many volunteers that co-ordinate the arrival of surplus food and its onward delivery to those in need. Andrew is keen to link up with similar charities across Surrey to ensure no parts of the County are left unserved.
The charity, which has been running since 2017, now saves around 30 tonnes of food a week, and provides around 3000 free meals a month to communities in need. Surplus to Supper is based at Sunbury Cricket Club, but works across North Surrey and boroughs of West and South West London, delivering to over 180 different organisations. There are four strands to what the charity does:
- Food redistribution: Fresh food that would otherwise have gone to waste is redistributed for free to support local foodbanks, schools, care homes, shelters, clubs, religious organisations and more.
- Surplus café: The Surplus Café is run by a professional chef cooking surplus food. The ethos is to provide one free meal for charity from each meal sold at the cafe (Buy One Feed One Free). The menu is varied with a range of staple and special items and produce will change weekly, so what’s on offer will too. The café is open to the community.
- Surplus shop: Every weekend the charity runs a Surplus Shop, providing good quality food which would otherwise go to waste. The Surplus Shop is for everyone in the community who needs fresh produce, and those that can are asked to donate a small amount to help Surplus to Supper to continue supporting local foodbanks, charities, school lunch projects and community groups across the local area.
- Events: As part of the ‘Buy One Feed One Free’ initiative, the charity provides good quality surplus food right across the food industry for any occasion, with the income from this helping to provide free meals for people in need within the community.
Visit the website to learn more at; https://www.surplustosupper.org
