Food, glorious food! That was the vibe as Volunteer Centre Hackney’s Our Place service and Cooperation Town staged a food co-op event in February at 1 Alpine Grove.
Read on discover more about food co-ops, and how you can get involved in volunteering with Our Place.
What do Cooperation Town do?
Cooperation Town supports communities to set up and run their own food co-ops, then helps to link them in with wholesalers and food surplus distribution. A food co-op is a member-run buying group, usually set up by neighbours, who each club money together – £3 each, for example – to buy food in bulk.
By buying in bulk, members of each food co-op make big savings versus going to the supermarket. Then, with Cooperation Town’s support, they also receive free surplus food from supermarkets, recipe box companies, and farms.
Food co-ops bring people together and build community, which is what Volunteer Centre Hackney aims to do. Unlike a food bank, where recipients are means-tested and may have less of an impact on how the service is run, food co-ops are run by their members.
“When we get together and we work together, we’re stronger and more resilient,” said East London Organiser Saul from Cooperation Town.
Healthy collaboration with Cooperative Town
Volunteer Centre Hackney’s collaboration with Cooperation Town started when Saul met Toyin and Sabrina – who work on VCH’s Our Place and Together Better services respectively – at an information day at St John of Jerusalem Primary School in Kingshold Road.
“I got chatting to them and they were both into the idea of doing a food co-op event at 1 Alpine Grove,” said Saul.
“Since then, I’ve come to a few Together Better coffee mornings to chat to people in the community about food co-ops. Having a pre-existing network where people already know each other has been super useful.”
Toyin added: “I think it’s really important for Volunteer Centre Hackney, and the Our Place service, to collaborate with other organisations because Our Place acts as a hub for the community. What makes Our Place special is our ability to collaborate. It’s something for everyone.
“Ultimately food poverty is not hidden and it’s affecting so many people. Food co-ops are about putting the power back in people’s hands. It’s addressing a need; it’s people working together to address something in a way that empowers people.”
Join us at Our Place!
As well as the food co-op, there are plenty of other events happening at Our Place, our service which supports volunteers host activities at community spaces in City and Hackney. Previous events include coat swaps, food pantries, and childcare support groups.
Toyin said: “Volunteering with Our Place is a great way to build skills and confidence.
“If someone has an idea or they’re just curious about putting on an activity, this is the perfect place to come because there isn’t the pressure of needing to know everything about hosting an activity – we offer the space and we offer you the support; we guide you along the way.”
Saul added: “I’d say it’s [volunteering with Our Place] a great way to get together and combat social isolation and get to know people in your neighbourhood… The range of activities being run is a great way to get active.”
Discover more about Cooperation Town here.
If you’re interested in volunteering, or just want to find a fun event to attend and meet people in your area, contact Toyin on 07360 557 036 or [email protected].