Member Article

Newcastle’s Food Nation celebrates Volunteers’ Week

A Newcastle-based community interest company is celebrating the work of its volunteers this week – and is inviting more healthy food fans to join its crop of helpers.

Food Nation, based in Byker, is taking part in Volunteers’ Week, an annual event which runs until 7 June to highlight the contributions made by millions of volunteers across the UK.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the event, and Food Nation is joining organisations up and down the country to celebrate the essential work of those people who spend their free time giving back to their communities.

The team at Food Nation are passionate about food, nutrition and health, and have been delivering food and nutrition programmes to schools, individuals, community groups and businesses across the region since 2008. Volunteers get involved in a range of activities - from helping to run a range of healthy cookery classes, to working on Food Nation’s allotment, visiting schools, and serving up healthy dishes at community and business events.

Two of Food Nation’s volunteers, Monica and Barbara, have become firm friends since they met at one of Food Nation’s cookery sessions.

Monica, who hails from Cincinnati in America, relocated to Newcastle last year when her husband accepted an opportunity to take a graduate degree at Northumbria University. As she has a passion for cooking, Monica was keen to get to know the local food community, and found an opportunity to join Food Nation on volunteering website www.do-it.org.uk.

Monica said: “I’ve been volunteering since I was young and really like the social aspect of it, and the feeling of helping other people.

“Everyone at Food Nation has been very welcoming, and was great to meet Barbara as we have so much in common - we’re of a similar age, we’re both retired, and we both have children at university. We both have partners in creative professions too, as my husband is an art historian and Barbara’s husband is a music editor.

“I love living in Newcastle and there’s so much to see here. Barbara and her husband have been showing us the sights, and we’ve been exploring the beautiful local countryside with Barbara’s walking group.”

Monica took a one-year culinary course certificate before moving to the UK. She has been a vegetarian for 22 years and writes a food blog: seiterhouserules.weebly.com

Monica added: “I’ve found that you never stop learning at Food Nation – no matter how much you may think you know about cookery! I’ve been coming for eight months and I still pick up some new tips about nutrition and healthy cooking at every class, which is great.”

Barbara, from Newcastle, has been volunteering at Food Nation for almost a year, following her retirement from a 24-year career at Newcastle University.

Barbara said: “I had heard about Food Nation through their work with the university, and I knew that when I retired I’d want to join in. It’s a very fresh, energetic place to be, with lots of exciting ideas, and it’s been lovely to meet a new friend from across the Atlantic. It goes to show that when you volunteer you can meet people of all ages, from all around the world, and learn about other cultures without even leaving your own city.

“If anyone is considering volunteering, and they have an interest in food and nutrition, then I’d really encourage them to give it a go at Food Nation and see what they think of the experience.

“Everyone is very friendly and it’s extremely flexible, so there’s no pressure to make any long-term commitments. No matter how little time you can spare, everyone is very appreciative of an extra pair of hands.”

Maria Parisi, Food Nation’s enterprise assistant, said: “At Food Nation, we aim to inspire people to grow, cook and eat local, seasonal and sustainable food, and to educate them about the links between food and health. We run Jamie Oliver’s Ministry of Food courses, as well as our own daily tailored courses both at Byker and in the local community, so we’re always in need of support to run these events smoothly.

“That’s why we really appreciate all the support from Barbara, Monica and the rest of our brilliant volunteers at Food Nation. They give so generously of their time and we would simply not be able to operate without them.

“Everyone is welcome to volunteer, and all you need is a passion for food and a willingness to get involved. For students, volunteering is a brilliant way to boost your CV and gain experience of working in a team. For older volunteers, working with us is a great way to expand your social circle - and Monica and Barbara’s friendship is a great example of that.

“We offer taster sessions so that people who are thinking of volunteering can come and meet the team and watch us in action before they decide whether or not they’d like to join in.”

To get involved with volunteering at Food Nation, or to try a taster session, visit www.foodnation.org/volunteer or contact Maria Parisi at Food Nation on 0191 276 0595 or maria@foodnation.org

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