Nestled in the heart of Hucknall, Nottinghamshire, is a community hub buzzing with activity.

OT Fundraisers was established in 2017 by Lynne and her son, Owen. In June 2022, the organisation was approached by Ashfield District Council to set up a food service for local people, and the OT Food Club was born.

Food

OT Food Club is a warm and welcoming space that opens its doors to anyone needing extra support. They offer a membership scheme for £1 a year, allowing individuals and families to collect bags of surplus food for as little as £3.50 a week. Despite operating for just over two years, they’ve grown from an initial 25 members to now supporting 450 members, a number that continues to increase every month, according to Lynne, the Director.

As a Community Food Member of FareShare Midlands, the Food Club receives large quantities of surplus food every week. The Club prides itself on its ability to use any form of surplus food it receives, which allows them to save almost 2 tonnes of food every week!

“The food has a massive impact and it’s so heart warming to be able to make a difference - there are no words for it, really,” says Lynne.

In addition to providing food parcels, the OT Food Club team also supports a local church by providing food for its community meal where its cooked into delicious and warming meals for 34 families to enjoy each week.

Community

Through the Food Club, OT Fundraisers has built a kind and caring community. The open and honest approach Lynne and her team bring to the club means that service users feel safe discussing issues beyond food access.

“We offer advice, signpost to organisations that can help, and most importantly, just spend time listening and hearing their problems. We do whatever we can to help, and people are so grateful,” Lynne explains.

OT Food Club has found great success through their Facebook page, where their community are able to share recipe ideas, cooking tips and offer advice freely. Lynne says “this connection has helped our service users understand how to handle surplus food they may have never seen before, and we’ve found we’re able to educate through food. Lots of people have learnt how to cook or gained new cooking skills. For example, we explained how to pod peas not too long ago and that it was a great activity to get kids involved in too.”

Winter

During the winter months, OT Food Club experiences a surge in demand. Reflecting on past winters, Lynne shares: “During our first winter, we distributed 16 pallets of surplus food over the Christmas fortnight. Last year, that increased to 35 pallets, and this year we’re expecting to give out at least 40 pallets’ worth of food.”
Lynne adds, “a lot of organisations close over Christmas, but we couldn’t do that, it’s an emotional journey but we have to be ready to react and be on-hand when people need us.”

More than just food

Lynne explains that the OT Food Club is able to provide much more than just the food. They also support those facing homelessness through the ‘OT Thread Shed’, where they collect clothing and supplies for the homeless, wool for OT knitters, and kids clothing and toys for the community. They work with local charity, Emmanual House, to help people access housing and shelter. The Club also engages with local councils, organisations and career advisors to provide their beneficiaries with all-round support.

One service user expressed their gratitude for OT Food Club, sharing that the Club helped them re-enter workforce: “[it’s] not just about saving good quality food from waste, not just about making the cost of living more affordable but now thanks to OT and community projects… offering (free in my case) career support, I now have a job for the first time in 3 years.”

The Food Club’s efforts don’t stop there. Lynne and the team also organise and attend events throughout the year to ensure their community has access to fun activities, crafts and food. This year, they are preparing for a spook-tastic Halloween event and have already scheduled three Christmas events.

At FareShare Midlands, we are incredibly grateful for organisations like OT Food Club and their remarkable work supporting their community.

To help us continue supporting groups like this, please donate today.