GVS’s FoodShare Pantry hosts a Food Festival!
At the end of August, GVS hosted a special food knowledge and kitchen skills event for their regular FoodShare Pantry customers. The day was put together as a fun opportunity for the customers to be inspired, learn some new skills and go home with an added boost to their weekly FoodShare shop, with every customer that attended winning new kitchen equipment. Everyone was also given a recipe folder to take home, funded by The National Lottery as part of the wider FoodShare project, containing a selection of recipes as well as health and nutrition advice.
Aside from GVS’s very own pantry volunteer, Cathy, demonstrating healthy snack ideas, lots of partner organisations were involved in making the day such a huge success. The Cardiff and Vale Nutrition and Dietetics team ran workshops demonstrating kitchen skills and how to make a healthy ‘pot noodle’, Versus Arthritis provided information about the links between diet and arthritis, Fit Bluebirds attended to discuss their new health programme that has since started to be delivered at the CF61 centre, the CF61 gardening team ran ‘grow your own’ demonstrations, kindly sponsored by Pugh’s Garden Centre with free seeds to take home, and ASDA Community attended, with information, goodies, a fruit kebab making station and entertainment packs for little ones.
FoodShare Coordinator Nic Osgood said, ‘It was a great day and such a brilliant opportunity to arm our customers with the skills, knowledge and confidence to be able to use the surplus food that we get into the pantry on a weekly basis. As the weeks go by we will make new recipe cards available based on what is in season and available in the pantry, so this is only the start of an ongoing journey! Huge thanks to all of our partners in the event and also to our sponsors, E&M Fencing, MBP Door Solutions, ASDA and Morrisons.’.
Zoe, a FoodShare customer said, ‘A wonderful event for everyone to attend FREE of charge, such a lifeline for so many locals. Fabulous prizes, I was fortunate enough to win the slow cooker – perfect for wonky veg soup!’
Alex, a FoodShare customer said, ‘It was a great event, with things to nibble on while browsing around the tables and chatting to all the contributors that attended. Whether planting tips, healthcare or finding endangered butterflies, everyone was keen to share. Something for everyone. I welcomed my Recipe Folder and a winning ticket for a very nifty Food Processor in the lottery too!’
What's not to love? Thanks again.
GVS’s FoodShare Pantry runs every Thursday from 12pm - 2pm in Llantwit Major at the CF61 centre, and every other Wednesday in St Athan at The Gathering Place. For £5 customers can choose chilled, frozen and ambient items as well as fresh produce and bakery, preventing good food from going to waste. To reserve a time to shop, please contact GVS on 01446 741706 or message @foodsharellantwit on Facebook and Instagram.
Pictured from left to right: FoodShare Coordinator Nic Osgood with Zoe receiving a free slow cooker.
