THE GRUB Club in Norreys has been supporting its community through the pressures of coronavirus by offering free fresh food everyday.
The initiative operates out of Norreys Church, and makes available donations from supermarkets, wholesale companies and generous people to those struggling in the area.
It started last year, helping families that normally get free school dinners to feed their children in the summer holidays by providing two weekly meals.
“When lockdown began our team sat down to think about how we could use our experience to help our local area”, said Hub member Claire Revie.
“We have a connection with Brakes wholesale in Reading, and found out they had surplus fresh stock that was about to go out of date”.
She said the team shared out the fruit and vegetables to Wokingham Foodbank and Community Hub, and then began to share it out themselves.
“We want to focus on those that might fall through the gaps to make sure everyone is looked after.
“At the church we felt that this was not the time to close our doors when we have the means to marry up the supply to the demand – we want to help the people that are worrying and have little money as much as we can.”
It now receives donations from organisations, such as Wokingham In Need — a charity that helps the vulnerable and homeless people of the borough — which allows the team of seven staff and volunteers to buy food to distribute.
The Hub has also been contacting supermarkets to contribute and give food that would be thrown away to the people instead, helping the environment by promoting a zero waste policy.
This means that the team often has bakery items and fresh food.
Mrs Revie said: “We don’t give out the dregs — the other week we had 7,000 scones from Brakes and people were delighted — it’s often a real treat”.
As more people found out about the initiative, the greater the demand became.
“The initial idea certainly wasn’t to be open everyday,” she said. “But it massively snowballed as soon as we started and now we have to be.
“Everyone has been overwhelmingly grateful and kind when they come in, and there have been so many generous people offering their time, money or food donations to us.”
They are helping a wide range of people, recently they have been visited by volunteers from The Salvation Army and key workers from care homes that are unable to get food from supermarkets.
But the future is uncertain for the team.
Ms Revie added: “Our biggest challenge is what to do when lockdown is over — we want to make our free food initiative into a sustainable, long-term thing — because the need will certainly still be there”.
The Hub now opens the doors of Norreys Church daily — usually between noon and 3pm — and gives food away until there is nothing left.
For more information, visit: www.facebook.com/thegrubclubwoky/, and to donate, contact Ms Revie through the Hub’s Facebook or via email: thegrubclubwokingham@gmail.com.
