The Good Samaritan

I’ve thought about many different types of charity but to be honest, I have a job that requires working long hours, so I just want to slump into a coma at the end of day in front of the TV. However, volunteering has been gnawing away at my mind; I just couldn’t find a cause which made me want to leap out of my slippers at the end of the day. And to all the worthy causes, I apologise in advance for my lack of willpower.

However, I recently read a very disturbing report. A recent study reveals that 925 million people around the world are at risk of undernourishment and in the UK. Even worse, annual food waste generation in Europe is at approximately 89 million tonnes. What’s to be done about it?

So I rang up Kelvin Cheung, the CEO of Food Cycle in Spitalfields, a charity that takes surplus food waste from local supermarkets and farmers’ markets and turns them into delicious meals for the needy. “To waste is not cool,” he says. “All our meals are made from scratch and people learn great skills at FoodCycle such as how to cook for 40 people.”

This has so inspired me that I’m attending a talk by Kelvin in Islington and rolling up my sleeves to do some chopping. I think I’ve discovered the secret to successful volunteering. Do what you can and don’t over-extend yourself. I think I can handle a bit of chopping – just watch out for my handy knife work!

If you want to know more about Foodcycle, then check out www.foodcycle.org.uk