Community kitchen launching in New Mills to tackle food poverty

Derbyshire County Council is to launch a Super Kitchen in the town in May, as part of a project to create community eating spaces and redistribute surplus supermarket produce to those in need.

The council is supporting the scheme in partnership with charities FareShare and Eudaimonia, and opened its first kitchen in Clay Cross last November.

County councillor Dave Allen said: “Lack of proper nutrition affects people’s physical and mental health and in the long term this will cause huge pressures on health and social care costs. That means there’s both an economic and a moral case for us to support social eating projects like Super Kitchen and take preventative action to address food poverty.”

The New Mills kitchen will launch with a welcome event at St George’s Parish Hall on Friday May 6, between 5pm and 7pm, to give community groups interested in volunteering their services the chance to look around, meet staff and enjoy a free social meal.

Super Kitchens originated in Nottingham, and there is now a network across the Midlands thanks to the efforts of youth clubs, food banks and charities.

Founder Marsha Smith said: “We’re pleased to be working with Derbyshire County Council and FareShare and seeing the scheme develop so well in the county in just a few months.”

The council has allocated £528,550 to find sustainable solutions to food poverty and help people struggling on low incomes and benefit delays.

Plans include the establishment of two community kitchens in each borough or district, and a food depot to supply the kitchens and food banks with perishable food such as fresh fruit and vegetables, dairy produce and meat.

Anyone interested in starting up a kitchen should email [email protected] or call 07816 203406.