Young people host "Pay As You Feel" meal for the community

Blog post originally from Ceredigion County Council’s website.

On 19 December 2018, Aberystwyth Community Ambassadors and members of Penparcau Youth Club teamed up with Aber Food Surplus and Ysgol Llwyn yr Eos to host a ‘pay as you feel’ meal at Ysgol Llwyn yr Eos, Penparcau.

Aberystwyth Community Ambassadors and Penparcau Youth Club are both led by Ceredigion County Council’s Youth Service.

The event was co-hosted by young people, Aber Food Surplus and Ysgol Llwyn yr Eos. It raised over £60 for charity and was an opportunity for young people and the local community to learn about food waste and the redistribution of surplus food gathered from local supermarkets. Young people had the opportunity to create a menu, learn about food allergens and develop a range of new and existing skills by cooking for their family, friends and the local community.

Matthew Jennings from Ceredigion County Council’s Youth Service said, “Aberystwyth Community Ambassadors is made up of young people from Penparcau Youth Club who aim to develop community engagement projects and fundraisers in and around Penparcau and Aberystwyth. We had a great time working with Aber Food Surplus, where we cooked three different curries and a desert from surplus food which would have otherwise gone to waste. We would like to thank Aber Food Surplus for giving us the opportunity to cook with them and to Ysgol Llwyn yr Eos for supporting us to host the event, using the school’s facilities.”

Heather McClure from Aberystwyth Food Surplus said, “It was a lovely evening seeing the Youth Ambassador Team give food waste a new lease of life, and their eagerness to raise funds for the Indonesian Tsunami Appeal. The enthusiasm to chop vegetables and add seasonings was so enjoyable, and the young people provided a lovely welcoming service to all that attended for the community meal. Thank you and well done to the Youth Ambassadors team!"

Ceredigion Youth Service is the designated service for young people aged 11-25 in Ceredigion, dedicated to supporting young people’s personal, social and educational development through specialised support and open access provision. For more information or to find out what opportunities are available to you, head over to their Facebook and Twitter pages at @GICeredigionYS or contact the team on youth@ceredigion.gov.uk

Aber Food Surplus is a surplus food organization which aim to reduce food waste in Aberystwyth. Aberystwyth Food Surplus collect the food local businesses are throwing away and redistribute it among the community. To learn more about the work of Aber Food Surplus, visit their Facebook or Twitter pages @AberFoodSurplus or take a look at their website; https://www.aberfoodsurplus.co.uk/  

Original blog post can be found here https://www.ceredigion.gov.uk/resident/news/young-people-host-pay-as-you-feel-meal-for-the-community/