Our Projects
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Food Redistribution Network
The Food Redistribution Network is at the core of what we do at the Hornbeam. We receive regular surplus food from our suppliers such as the Felix Project and City Harvest which would otherwise have been sent straight to landfill, sort it and then redistribute it to a network of Waltham Forest local projects across the week.
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People’s Kitchen
Our People’s Kitchen is a day dedicated to volunteers which aims to bring people together, connecting with one another through cooking and sharing a FREE meal. We want this project to be as inclusive as possible – it is open to all!
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Waltham Forest Food Partnership
Partnership bringing together Organiclea, Hornbeam and key food partners together with the council to develop a vision and strategy for a more resilient food system in Waltham Forest. Informed by the food growing and food redistribution network, the partnership develops a strategy that is based on the ground level work of groups and projects who have identified the gaps, needs and places for solutions.
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Food Co-ops
A food co-op is a membership-based and non-hierarchical collective within which the group decides on alternative ways of sourcing their food, bypassing supermarkets and instead utilising bulk buying and surplus food. At the Hornbeam we help mentor and supply such groups from Waltham Forest to promote a more sustainable and affordable way of engaging with our food system.
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Climate Fresk
Understanding the changing climate and figuring out how to respond both as an individual and in community can feel quite overwhelming.
We are hosting a monthly Climate Fresk session with a free hot meal on the first Tuesday of the month from 6-9pm, as a way to help our community members grasp the scale of what we face, and become empowered to work towards building community resilience.Book though eventbrite so we know how many to cater for!
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Good Deeds on Bikes
Hornbeam’s Good Deeds on Bikes scheme allows you to help out your local community whilst spending some time on your bike! This project includes both surplus food collection and local deliveries. We see so much potential in this project and are always interested in your input on how we can push this scheme even further!
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Food Streets
Working with people on a street level to find neighbourhood food solutions that help the planet and each other. Ideas range from potluck dinners, sharing oven space to reduce energy costs, bulk buying food together or growing veg in your front gardens to share out. Click here to see some of the ideas we’ve come up with!
Previous Projects
Ready Healthy Eat
Ready Healthy Eat is a project which helps provide nutritious ready meals to the most vulnerable people in our community. It is through this long-term project that we were able to quickly adapt to the outbreak of the pandemic and the lockdown restrictions that came with it. With a strong network of cycling volunteers & cooking volunteers, we were able to give out over 40 000 meals over the 2 years of the pandemic.
Leyton Wellbeing & Food Project
This project aims to target food insecurity in Waltham Forest and increase the wellbeing of the community through the collaboration between food growers and community food 'sharing' groups with a focus on overall health and wellbeing of the community. We look to encourage residents of Leyton to take part in gardening, social cooking, food sharing, walking activities; engage with the established groups like community gardens and mutual-aid groups, and be inspired to set up their own wellbeing groups with our active support.
Donate
Your donation allows us to continue to promote sustainability, equity and community building in Waltham Forest.