Month: March 2026

Exeter Food Action really couldn’t do what we do without our volunteers. We often describe them as our beating heart and we’re very fortunate to have 60 of them. Some volunteer in our warehouse, others help to deliver food to the 70 community groups we now support and, every day, several of them venture out all over the city collecting food from restaurants and supermarkets, preventing it from going to waste.

In recognition of the work that we do, earlier this week we won an award at the Exeter Sustainability Awards, as mentioned in a previous post.  The award goes to everyone who plays a part in our work which, of course, includes our amazing volunteers because, quite literally, they keep our wheels turning.

Our volunteers come from all walks of life, some working and volunteering in their spare time, others since retiring, and even some who’re still at school, such as Sibyle, pictured below with her mum, Emmanuelle. At 6 years old she’s our youngest volunteer and has been doing a wonderful job for over 2 years, collecting surplus food from Pret a Manger with mum. And when she’s not at school or volunteering, she’s apparently pretty good on a trampoline. Well, Sibyle, on behalf of Exeter Food Action, we’d just like to say that we’re jumping with joy at the great work that you do. Thank you – you’re a star!

PS Sorry, Sibyle, for what we’ve done to your face – we thought it best for you to remain anonymous in case people started pestering you for your autograph or you got so famous that you didn’t have time to be a volunteer. We need you!

In the 2024 Exeter Sustainability Awards category for community groups, charities and non-profits, we were delighted to be ‘highly commended’. This year, however, we went one better and are very pleased to report that we won!

There weren’t any speeches but, if there were, just as Oscar winners thank cast and crew (and mums, dads and dogs), in our case we’d have thanked our amazing staff and volunteers, because it’s the great work that they do that got us there. Congratulations all – we couldn’t do what we do without you!

Sometimes in our warehouse, as donations arrive and deliveries are packed before heading off to the many community groups we support, things can get a bit chaotic, with staff and volunteers vying for a bit of clear space to get things done. They always do but things will be made a bit easier now, thanks yet again to our good friends at Bartlett. The picture below shows Bartlett’s, Corinna (left) and our volunteer, Jo, beside the fabulous, shiny steel table they’ve donated for our warehouse. Thank you once again to Bartlett for their continued support for the work that we do!

Food insecurity in the UK has a gender dimension. Women, for example, are more likely than men to experience it, with 86% of single-parent households headed by women. We see every day how important support is for families under pressure, such as for the young mum who told us that the food we provided for a service she used ensured that her child ate, and she did too, prior to which she skipped meals so her child didn’t have to. Today, on International Women’s Day, we recognise and celebrate the strength of the women holding families together.

If you’d like to play a part by supporting our work, rescuing good food that might otherwise have gone to waste and getting it onto the tables of people who need it, it’s easily done. Please help if you can: https://exeterfoodaction.org.uk/donate. Thank you.

Back in January we posted news on our Facebook page that it was National Hugging Day, founded in 1986 by, Kevin Zaborney, a psychology major at the University of Michigan, USA. It was on the 21st of January, a date he’d chosen because it falls roughly midway between Christmas and Valentine’s Day, a time at which he believed people to be at an emotional low.

English reserve might have hindered things taking off in the UK, but we encouraged people to give it a go (with a hugee’s consent of course), or for them to simply express their affection for what we do, getting good food to people who need it, by making a donation. We’d urged people on saying “don’t be shy”, pointing out that it’s easily done. It still is if anyone feels like giving us a virtual hug: https://localgiving.org/charity/exeter-food-action.

Look what our incredible volunteer, Ellen, has done! (see below).

We still need good condition ordnance survey maps, CDs and books so, if you fancy a declutter, we’ll gladly take them off your hands. Just drop them off at either of the locations below (preferably Rosebarn Lane) and Ellen will turn them into the money that helps fund our work stopping food from going to waste and getting it to people who need it. Please help if you can. Thank you.

Often overlooked as a humble coleslaw ingredient, cabbage is actually a nutritional powerhouse. Whether you prefer it green, red, or crinkled (Savoy), this cruciferous vegetable punches far above its weight class in terms of health perks.

The US writer, Mark Twain, once described cauliflowers as nothing but a cabbage with a college education, but we think he misunderstands cabbages and they’re actually bright and beautiful. We were delighted, therefore, to receive loads of them earlier this week from Gleaning Cornwall Network, kindly delivered by our friends at Amazon. Thank you both – we think cabbages are lovely (and cauliflowers).

Pro Tip: To get the most “bang for your buck,” try eating cabbage raw or lightly steamed. Over-boiling can destroy the Vitamin C and that beneficial sulforaphane.

A few weeks ago, Savona Foodservice held its biggest exhibition to date at Sandy Park, an annual event for the catering industry showcasing food, drink and non-food items. Over 350 delegates attended the exhibition, and we were there too, with our partners, FareShare South West.

Huge thanks to Savona Foodservice, who’d invited us to collect surplus food at the end of the event. Between us we were able to rescue a massive 473kg of lovely food that might otherwise have gone waste. That’s equivalent to over 1,000 meals, which soon found its way to the many charities, schools and food clubs etc. we and FareShare South West support in Exeter and across Devon.

Thank you to Savona Foodservice, our partners and everyone who plays a part in our work. We couldn’t do what we do without you!

Bartlett, who specialise in refrigeration, catering and air conditioning equipment, have been very good friends to us. They’ve come to our rescue on several occasions when one of our fridges or freezers has had an off day. But that’s not all and the picture below shows our volunteers, Donald and Nev, unloading a shiny new printer that Bartlett kindly provided free of charge when the ageing, squeaking one in our office drew its last breath. Thanks to everyone at Bartlett for coming to our rescue once again!