For August bank holiday weekend, some of team REfUSE headed to Greenbelt Fesitval. Our team cooked (we think) a couple of thousand meals to festival goers in the Christian Aid tent, using only food that would otherwise have gone to waste. It was an inventive, creative challenge, and an amazing, delicious effort in a HOT field kitchen. Our Nikki also did a talk about food waste and the environment on the Christian Aid Stage, and Mim and Nikki took to the Table stage and gave a demo of some food waste saving tips!
It was a privilege to partner with Christian Aid, and to represent The Real Junk Food Project network: activists around the UK who are working hard to #feedbelliesnotbins and run #PayAsYouFeel cafes, pop ups and other projects. Check out our map and find one near you!
We were delighted to have received this email as we returned home, from Mary:
“I was one of those thousands you lovingly fed at Greenbelt 2019! As well as receiving energy to enjoy Greenbelt from the meals I also received a new message about the value of food and how to honour it as a gift. In keeping with the concept of offering skills as well as money for food received I have written a poem for you, inspired by your message:”
Time to eat
Piled high plates set before us,
Tastebuds soothed with sweet and sour, spices and herbs,
Mealtimes anticipated by cooking smells lingering in the air around ,
Pause before you feast.
…What journey did this food take?
Picture livestock fed, watered, transported.
See seeds planted, vegetables tended for months then harvested.
Count how many delicious fruits are packed in crates and flown thousands of miles,
Wonder at the factories working through the night and the bakers awake in early hours by their hot ovens,
Yes, our plates, cupboards, fridges are full but so are our bins !
Take stock .
Can we continue unthinking as our world is emptied, discarding precious gifts to landfill waste?
Time to value.
Time to consider how those plates are filled.
Time to contribute what we can.
Time to set plates for others.
Time to eat!