FoodCycle urges West Yorkshire residents to share 'Peas & Love' this summer by volunteering to feed local communities

A charity tackling hunger, loneliness, and food waste by providing free three-course community meals for those in need, is appealing for help from West Yorkshire residents this summer.

- By Deb James Contributor

Community dining charity FoodCycle has to fill almost 10,000 volunteering slots to keep weekly community meals going across England and Wales over the holiday season.

FoodCycle Leeds Seacroft runs on Tuesdays at 6.30pm, FoodCycle Leeds Beeston & Holbeck runs on Wednesdays at 6.30pm, and FoodCycle Leeds Harehills runs on Thursdays at 6.30pm.

The charity also needs volunteers in and Bradford, Huddersfield.

FoodCycle is encouraging locals to make 2025 a 'Summer of Peas & Love', by signing up to volunteer - even just once or twice a month.

Keen cooks, servers, and washer-uppers are needed to help alleviate a 'summer slump' in volunteer numbers, as regular helpers take holidays, students return home, and parents and grandparents have less free time to offer.

It comes as demand for FoodCycle meals rose by 17% in the last year nationally, as the high cost of living and rising levels of loneliness means many people are in need of free food and company.

Each week FoodCycle volunteers provide nourishing vegetarian meals made using surplus food that would otherwise go to waste, served in a friendly and welcoming atmosphere, free to anyone who needs them.

Nationally FoodCycle volunteers served more than 163,000 free meals in 2024, and saved 320 tonnes of surplus food from going to landfill.