The Real Junk Food Project Doncaster’s entirely upcycled food waste cafe!

We’ve moved into our own venue at 13 Scot lane Doncaster DN1 1EW and we love our quirky little shop/cafe. It’s a joy working and watching as it comes to life! An empty shop unit has become our café and a sorely needed community hub. Using only items and food that would have been wasted, we are proving that we can work together to think differently about bigger problems. Production systems particularly agricultural ones are designed to be extractive, the main consideration is ‘what do you get at the end?’ How much can we get out of that?’ yet they prove wasteful and unsustainable. We can do better. Instead of an economy based on these principles which become socially exclusive (they’re based on money and the capacity to generate it) and are environmentally disastrous, we can think about more resourceful and more efficient exchanges. We can even be regenerative.

All from this..

Everything in our shop/cafe has been upcycled and rescued not just the food! Nothing has been bought new. Every table and chair, the table cloths, pictures, shelves, even the till were rescued and donated having become unwanted/unused. We’d like to say a big thankyou to all the individuals and community organisations who’ve thought of us! Other items of furniture were donated from the charity shops on the street for £1 and painted up with leftover paint and tester pots

Friends and volunteers have brought us beautiful retro and vintage crockery and some plants were brought on a pay as you feel basis from a permaculture group who asked to come and support us

It feels like our community here in Doncaster is behind us and a part of it, making it happen and willing it to life 🙂

We’ve been joined by a local artist who has helped us settle in and prepare what we hope will be our event/meeting space/gallery. All of the furniture here inc x25 chairs for meetings were also rescued/donated from individuals, community groups and non profit organisations

Though it has not been without challenges or always very easy. One of the biggest difficulties we face is no kitchen (nor even running hot water!) as this was previously a retail unit. So when we prepare and cook food we will do so from a mobile catering trailer whilst we work on whatever can be done. The catering unit is funded by South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue who have given us a grant to pay for a years rent for it, as a part of their stronger safer communities work. It fits nicely in the gated yard at the back, and we’ll be able to take it out over summer.

We held an open day to introduce our work reducing food waste, our ideas and plans, and to invite you to help create the magic

All of our food is provided on a Pay As You Feel basis and we do catering

Donate here http://www.therealjunkfoodprojectdoncaster.co.uk/#donateemail

email therealjunkfoodprojectdonny@gmail.com

Website http://www.therealjunkfoodprojectdoncaster.co.uk/

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