Foodwise’s Amazing Meals Service To Needy Families During the Pandemic

Published on: 4 Feb, 2021
Updated on: 5 Feb, 2021

Foodwise tlc, a Christian-based charity from Guildford, has been busy throughout the pandemic helping to provide meals for families in need.

Its normal mission is to deliver its Cooking on a Budget courses enabling people to feed themselves and their families with delicious and nutritious meals on a budget! In addition, embracing its Holiday Hunger programme by holding community meals during school holidays.

The pictures show examples of the food it has prepared, the food delivered and helpers in its operations.

Due to Covid-19 these activities were suspended. Instead, working closely with Stoke Community Support in Guildford, four kitchens and delivery sites were opened as a result fed more than 300 families across Woking and Guildford.

It delivered more 30,000 meals, achieved through a massive team of volunteers helping to cook, pack and deliver the food, without whom this huge effort would not have been possible.

From September, still unable to deliver its courses, Foodwise placed freezers into schools in Guildford and Woking.

These were filled regularly with Foodwise meals cooked at Moorcroft Community Centre in Woking and given to families in the schools.

In Woking, the meals were distributed by HomeStart volunteers at the schools, who bagged up the meals and gave them to families to enjoy over the weekend.

Lockdown 3 has meant that the families are no longer able to collect their meals from the schools and so Foodwise has reverted back to its distribution hub operation.

Guildford meals are being delivered from Queen Elizabeth Park Centre and Woking meals from Andy’s Community Café at St Andrew’s Church in Goldsworth Park.

Just before Christmas, the Moorcroft Community Centre kitchen was visited by the Earl and Countess of Wessex who assisted the Foodwise chefs to prepare meals.

The royal couple also met some of the volunteers involved with the meal distribution. The Lord Lieutenant of Surrey, Sir Michael Molyneaux, also attended. The volunteers were not aware that it was a royal visit until that morning, so it was a great surprise to them!

Foodwise works in close partnership with North Guildford Food Bank, Woking Food Bank, HomeStart, Woking schools, churches, Guildford Philanthropy and both Guildford and Woking Borough Councils and many other agencies and fund givers.