We had the pleasure of hosting 5 medical students from the University of Sheffield over the last few weeks – Martha, Ali, Alicia, Lucy, Katie.
Below is their write up of their time with us, plus videos, images, and recipes they’ve learnt along the way…
Our time at Food Works
Over the last few weeks, the 5 of us have had the wonderful opportunity to volunteer and get involved in Food Works. We are a group of Medical Students from the University of Sheffield on what is called the “Social Accountability” placement. This placement is all about wider determinants of health and community.
We have all absolutely loved our time, we have been in a great position to get involved in lots of different areas of the Food Works project to see how it all links and connects. We have felt so welcomed and included everywhere we went and would like to thank all the kind and generous volunteers and people we have met.
You might have seen us in the Warehouse which we think was the biggest shock for all of us! Least not because the first day Ali, Katie and myself turned up unprepared for the cooler warehouse environment (after that we were much better prepared and layered up!). Just seeing the volume and quality of food being intercepted when it would have been wasted was crazy.
We also all had a great time at the Norton site helping with the food growing, it was such a peaceful and calming space, Maddy and Bethan were so kind and knowledgeable.
Lucy and Alicia got really embedded in the cafe’s, they enjoyed the creativity of the cooking and getting to produce food for customers as well as the Just Meals. Alicia has written up a few of the recipes from her time in the cafe’s too…
Our time with Food Works has flown by so quickly! Our biggest take away messages have been the importance of the food movement Food Works is part of as well as the incredible community it fosters both within its volunteers and customers.
So, if you are a customer or someone new thinking about Food Works – have a go, sign up to volunteer. It’s such a welcoming and supportive team! If you are someone who already volunteers, maybe have a go and try a different site to see a bit more of the project’s breadth.
