Deserving Cafe giving 'hope in hard times' in running for prize

A COMMUNITY interest group that operates a cafe providing up to 1,200 free meals each week, a food bank, and a Christmas campaign delivering 10,000 festive gifts has been nominated in a national competition.

- Daniel CLARK

Gloucester Feed The Hungry is a nominee in The BIG Christmas Giveback, which seeks to shine a light on the people and organisations making a positive impact on local communities. The person or organisation with the most nominations in the competition will win a £1,000 Town & City Gift Card, such as the Gloucester Gift Card, with one person who nominated them winning a £500 gift card.

The Gloucester-based CIC encompasses Smiles Cafe, a warm space which is open Tuesday to Saturday, 9am to 3pm. A food bank operates from the upstairs room of Smiles Cafe, offering food, clothes and toiletries.

Hash Norat founded Gloucester Feed The Hungry nine years ago and said: "After selling our family business, starting Gloucester Feed The Hungry was about doing what was right for the city. From the initial idea to running our first food programme was a matter of days. During lockdown we worked 13-hour days, delivering food parcels as far as Bristol, with great support from my employer Unilever, who produced Pot Noodles for distribution.