Council for the Homeless NI New Food Network

The Council for the Homeless NI have launched a food sharing network which will of interest to anyone who offers food to help combat poverty or disavantage.

Alison Upton, who is the Development Officer working with the Council, explains what's involved:

No such thing as a free lunch?

Food is an important part of many services. Food can be the main focus of what you do as in the case of lunch-clubs for the elderly, breakfast clubs for the young, cookery classes for low income families, food baskets for people facing hard times. Food can also add value to services and bring people together, - free lunches for young people on training programmes, drop in centres offering tea and coffee all day along with advice services. However your organisation uses food to combat disadvantage and poverty, the new food network proposed by CHNI can help.

CHNI is working with FareShare in the UK to establish a food-sharing network for the voluntary, community and faith groups across NI. This network will work with the food industry to redistribute quality food and other food related support services to a network of organisations working with disadvantaged people.

To make sure the network is built to meet your needs we need to hear from you. If your organisation includes food in its services to the community we would like to know about it. We want to be sure that the network can source what's best  for you and your service users . You can contact us by any of the following ways:

1. Log on to our website at www.chni.org.uk and follow the links to the food network  page

2. Email Alison Upton for information to be emailed to you,             

3. Telephone Alison on 02890 246440 or,

4. Write to us at CHNI Food Network, 4^th Floor Andras House, 60 Great Victoria Street, Belfast BT2 7BB