A Peckham free food service is adding an extra day for people to collect takeaway meals.
Anyone who needs food can now come to FoodCycle Peckham on Wednesdays from 5-6pm, starting on April 28.
The centre, at 7 Blenheim Grove, already runs a service on Saturdays from 5.30-6.30pm. Anyone can come for a free meal, with no questions asked. All meals are vegetarian, so that there are no barriers to people from any culture using the service.
The centre also aims to provide some companionship to the people who collect food. Three-quarters of people who used the service told FoodCycle they were lonely.
Regional Manager Becca Ketley, FoodCycle Peckham says: ” We are thrilled to be opening up our second project in Peckham to provide double the free takeaway meals for the local community. We look forward to further cementing partnerships with local businesses and most importantly providing a nutritious meal and friendly chat to anyone in the community who needs it, no questions asked.”
The group, which has centres across London and the UK, started up in the first Covid-19 lockdown to help feed people who were struggling.
FoodCycle said it cooked 74,073 hot dishes and said hello to guests 21,231 times in 2020.
More than 60% of people who use FoodCycle said they relied on the service and simply could not afford to buy food otherwise.