Eat and Heat Winter 2022

by Paul Loman in Brighton, Brighton and Hove, United Kingdom

We did it
On 25th February 2023 we successfully raised £17,174 with 84 supporters in 84 days

To continue to provide healthy and nutritious meals in a warm space to everyone in our community irrespective of their ability to pay

by Paul Loman in Brighton, Brighton and Hove, United Kingdom

 New stretch target

The more we raise, the more people we are able to help.  We will also be able to fund food collections from a wider area by covering transport and salary costs.

To help us hit this target, we're now receiving match funding from the Co-op.

That means every pledge is doubled.  £10 from you yields £20!!!


Who are we? What do we do?

The Real Junk Food Project intercepts food that would otherwise go to waste and uses it instead to make healthy and nutritious meals which we serve in four cafes across Brighton: 

  • The Gardener cafe in the city centre 
  • St Luke's Prestonville
  • Hollingdean Community Centre
  • the newly opened Fitzherbert Community Hub in Kemptown

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The food is offered on a pay-as-you-feel basis which means that it is available to all regardless of their ability to pay.  

This winter we are faced with an additional challenge: increases in food and energy costs which mean that many people will struggle to keep warm and feed themselves. 

Our cafes will be warm places which will offer sanctuary to those who will struggle to keep the heating on.

What do people say?

The Real Junk Food Project currently feeds over 750 people a week ... and this number is increasing all the time.  Listen to what our guests say:

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Why are we crowdfunding?

In all of our cafes we invite people who are able to pay a bit extra to pay for their own meals and donate a bit extra to feed someone else.  We call that 'paying forward' and it appeals to the generosity of our customers.  

However, donations and pay forward contributions are not enough.   The number of people we are feeding is increasing and the income we receive is reducing. In short, we're struggling to pay the bills.  

We calculate that it costs about £5 to create a meal taking into account our own utility costs, rents, transportation costs, and salaries of key personnel.  And this doesn't account for the army of brilliant volunteers who donate their time to the project week in and week out: driving, sorting food, peeling, chopping, cooking, serving, and cleaning.

We're asking you 'the crowd' to pay forward in this fundraiser to make a contribution so those in our community can avail themselves of a warm space and a hot meal and drink.

Every £ gets doubled!

Every individual contribution (up to £250) to this crowdfunder is still matched by Cost of Living Boost & Co-op Warm Spaces. Just think: you give £10 and we get £20.  What's not to like about that? Note: it's limited to one contribution per person so please contribute as much as you can in one hit!  

And if you're one of those lucky people who doesn't need the government's energy rebate, why not donate the rebate.

Our Aim

We are hoping to raise £15,000 in total - some which will come from the amazing Aviva and Co-op co-funding .  This will mean we will be able to create 3,000 meals for people in need.

We've got some rewards, too

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T-shirt (modelled by our volunteer, Linda)       Barista coffee training  

Discovering the joys and health benefits from pickling and fermenting with the amazing Daphne Lambert from Greencuisine Trust.    Or get your own copy of David Shrigley's 'Really Good' sculpture.

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What about one of these wines kindly donated by Butlers Wine Cellar

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Rewards

This project offers rewards in return for your donation. Please select a reward below.

£120 or more

1 of 2 claimed

Simon Webster Hair

Cut, style & conditioning scalp treatment with Simon Webster, Founder & Artistic Director of Simon Webster Hair This is a 90 minute ‘luxe’ service — a lovely gift for someone.

£25 or more

6 of 20 claimed

Real Junk Food Project T-shirt

A black Junk Food Project T-shirt

£30 or more

1 of 12 claimed

Rescue Recipes Book

A signed copy of 'Rescue Recipes: Fighting Food Waste One Meal at a Time' a book written by two Junk Food volunteers, Daniel Shindler and Gaelle Soder.

£50 or more

2 of 5 claimed

Workshop on preserving food

We will provide you with a four hour workshop which will introduce you to the health-giving properties of fermented foods.

£100 or more

1 of 5 claimed

Become a Barista

You will have a three hour session with our barista trainer to introduce you to techniques of making coffee and latte art.

£250 or more

Pay Forward £250

This is equivalent to one person having a meal and a drink in one of our cafes once each week for a year

£10 or more

1 of 1 claimed

Bottle of EL NINOT DE PAPER BLANCO 2021

This wine is inspired by the 'paper dolls' of the Las Falles de Valencia festival, when puppets (often made of papier maché) are paraded around the town. It was kindly donated by Butlers Wine Cellar. The white is a blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Viura. It's full of light, citrus and floras aromas, bursting with fresh green apple and a clean dry finish. Perfect with paella, salads or fish!

£10 or more

1 of 1 claimed

Bottle of PASQUIERS GRENACHE NOIR 2020

This Grenache Noir - donated by Butlers Wine Cellar - is from the deep South of France is steeped in texture and character. Rich black fruit and sweet spice on the nose with more intense berry fruit and liquorice on the palate. No oak is used in the vinification. An ideal partner to Mediterranean cooking, olives, crusty bread and tasty cheese, roasted vegetables and herb infused red meats.

£80 or more

1 of 1 claimed

Simon Webster Hair with Ellie

Cut, style & conditioning scalp treatment with Ellie, Senior Stylist at Simon Webster Hair This is a 90 minute ‘luxe’ service — a lovely gift for someone.

£100 or more

1 of 1 claimed

Dine at The Set

The Set is one of Brighton’s jewels. They offer a tasting menu comprising 14-20 dishes to a dozen or so diners at their Cafe Rust residence in a single sitting. They’ve generously offered a £100 voucher to this crowdfunder.

£500 or more

1 of 1 claimed

David Shrigley 'Thumbs Up'

This is a limited edition version of David Shrigley's 'Really Good' sculpture which was first seen on the Fourth Plinth in Trafalgr Square in 2016. Postage and packaging is included.

Got an idea like this?

Over £200 million has been raised from our crowd to support the projects they love! Plus tens of millions more unlocked by our partners.