Cultivate Cornwall CIC have repurposed one of their shops on the Bodmin high street to help feed the local community through the pandemic.

The repurposing came following the shop closure during lockdown. The company wanted to find a way to use the space to continue to support those most in need.

They have certainly achieved this, with two tonnes of food now being sorted into food parcels in the space each week and then distributed across Bodmin and the surrounding areas through the company's Fair Exchange project.

Harry, one of the company's founders said: “Coronavirus has brought new challenges for us all, we are just trying to make life a little easier for the community during this challenging time. "As a small team we wouldn’t have been able to get to this point without the huge amount of support we have received and all the new volunteers that have joined us to make it happen.

“It has been refreshing seeing so many young people come forward wanting to help the more vulnerable in our community, the energy and passion they have brought has made it more than just a lifeline for those that receive the food, but also as a team we have been able to support each other."

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Sophie, who is managing the project, said: “This is a fantastic opportunity for our community but it has also helped me.

"In lockdown I needed a way to keep myself occupied. Being involved as part of this team has also helped me help myself.

"I have loved to be able to help people in this challenging time and in fact it has helped me consider my future and how I can be more involved in my community after some sense of normality resumes.

“In the short term, I am not going anywhere and will continue to be involved in Cultivate Cornwall’s Fair Exchange Project, it is so needed and is really making a difference to peoples lives, just this week we were able to provide food to someone in their 70’s who hadn’t eaten for four days”

The Fair Exchange has distributed almost 2,500 food parcels in the last month and each week there is more demand.

As well as supporting their local community in and around Bodmin and Camelford, Cultivate Cornwall have also been able to support other food projects across the county to help them access food to distribute to people who need it in their communities. Each week as much as one tonne of food is being donated to Bugle Library of Things, Lighthouse Community Centre in Liskeard and St Erme.

For more information or to request a food parcel in Bodmin phone 0800 009 6737, Bugle phone 07968481721, or follow the links for St Erme or Liskeard.