According to findings by The Food Foundation, in January 2025, 14% of UK households – an estimated 7.3 million of the population experienced food insecurity. That means struggling to afford or access enough food. FoodCycle offers a practical response, serving free, hot meals to those who need them, while also creating space for connection and support.
Thanks to players of The Health Lottery, over £134 million has now been raised for health and wellbeing projects across Great Britain.
The Health Lottery Foundation distributes players’ money to good causes which includes the £15,000 grant to FoodCycle, helping over 100 communities across England and Wales deliver weekly community meals.
FoodCycle runs community meals in Reading, Gateshead, Exeter, Huddersfield, across London and many more locations in England and Wales. It’s where guests are invited to sit around a table and enjoy a freshly cooked, nutritious meal.
The food is served with warmth and dignity by friendly volunteers in a welcoming environment. These weekly meals don’t just tackle hunger – they bring people together, helping to reduce loneliness and build stronger local ties.
The Health Lottery CEO, Martin Ellice, joined The Health Lottery Foundation CEO, Delva Patman, at the Peckham project on 4th June to see FoodCycle in action.
Martin Ellice said: “Meeting the team at FoodCycle and seeing the community kitchen in Peckham really brought home how powerful these projects are. It’s not just about feeding people – it’s about making them feel welcome and seen. We’re proud that funding raised by Health Lottery players is helping this work happen across the country.”
The funding has been allocated by The Health Lottery Foundation, who were impressed by the FoodCycle approach because it combines the practical element of dealing with food waste in combination with feeding people and tackling loneliness.
Delva Patman added: “Martin and I jumped at the chance to see for ourselves what FoodCycle does. We were struck by the sense of community, generosity and positivity. We want to thank the FoodCycle staff and volunteers for giving us their time.”
Sophie Tebbetts, Chief Executive said: “FoodCycle community meals are about so much more than what is on the plate. Whilst our incredible volunteers cook delicious and nutritious meals, having the opportunity to sit down and share a meal with others brings so many other benefits. Last year, we saw a 30% increase in people accessing our services and the number of people we serve continues to grow each week.”
Started in 2009, FoodCycle has grown into a national network. Last year alone, 8,770 volunteers gave more than 162,000 hours of their time. Each community meal is cooked from surplus food and served restaurant-style by volunteers handling everything from food collection to cooking and hosting.
