A community interest company based in Redruth is looking to provide residents with a 'veg-ucation' to help them move away from processed foods while cutting down on food waste.
Food Troops CIC was set up by Carrie Vallance in September 2019 to provide kids with cookery classes and has grown into supplying the local area with food parcels.
The group also explained how they had recently moved into a new venue and plans to grow its own food to use in the classes.
Speaking to The Packet, Carrie said: "Basically, we wanted to get food education out into the community, focussing on boosting children's perceptions of vegetables by eating healthily.
"We helped them learn how to cook and just play with the food and learn the ins and outs of veg and eating healthy.
"So we'd set these classes up in a couple of schools and in the Redruth community, and then lockdown hit..."
However, Carrie didn't let the onset of the pandemic set her back and adjusted the way in which the group operated in order to carry on providing for the local community.
Carrie continued: "We turned the cooking classes into subscription boxes and we sent those out to people's homes, but also, alongside the food boxes we started receiving the surplus food from supermarkets.
Read Next:
"I've been doing that from my own home since lockdown.
"We got masses and masses of food from Co-Op, Aldi, Lidl and Morrison's and started putting them in packs of 10 to 15 food items and handing them out via the Facebook group.
"Alongside that, we've been sharing recipes and ideas on how to make the best out of the food with the online community.
"So while we were doing the food parcels it really occurred to me that we needed to get a venue, so we found this venue in Redruth which is just the perfect spot right next to the children's play park.
"We've got some fridges in there and cooking equipment at the moment, so people can come and receive those food parcels from the site in Redruth, and soon enough we'll start some food cookery classes again.
Carrie also described how the venue had an outdoor space that it intends to develop into an allotment and grow food which can then be used in the cookery classes.
"It's trying to create a bit more of a circular economy," Carrie added.
"We're trying to find ways that we can share skills amongst different community organisations and CICs in the area so that we can all work together and help build each other up and create the positive change that we need."
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here