Community meals working with the Diocese

The Story

James is the fifth generation of his family to be based on their farm just outside Wantage. His deep connections to the community and to the local Diocese are part of what motivated him to take on the project that would become Wantage Around Table when his vicar suggested setting up a warm space for tea and coffee just under 3 years ago. After finding out about Oxford Food Hub and speaking to the team there, James decided to go a step further and offer fully cooked meals every Wednesday to anyone in Wantage who needs them. Since then, James has gone on to set up 3 initiatives across Oxford, including Summertown (at St Michael’s Church), central Oxford (the Gatehouse at St Giles), and Botley (St Frideswide’s Church) and is serving around 440 meals a week. 

All of James’ community meals are not just about feeding people in need, although this is a key part of its mission. The initiatives also aim to connect people and build community by bringing people together to share a meal each week in an inclusive and welcoming space. People who come to the lunches range in age from 6 months to 101 years old. The regulars, and particularly elderly attendees, say how much they look forward to meeting up with others there and sharing a meal. 

James has been able to get some funding via the government Food and Warmth Grant and donations for some of the initiatives, but the growth of the project he helps to run has been made possible in large part thanks to the help provided by Oxford Food Hub. The immediate enthusiasm of the colleagues at Oxford Food Hub when James first approached them 3 years ago is a big part of what encouraged him to be more ambitious with his plans. The variety and quantity of fresh food he receives means he can cook hundreds of meals from scratch each week and provide for all diets. Although they encourage people to stay and share the meal, they also offer takeaway and, in some cases, home delivery. It’s about catering as best as they can to the needs of the people who use the service. 

It’s hard work and requires lots of time and patience to make sure the paperwork is in order, but James is passionate about helping people and raising awareness about the struggles that people face. These difficulties are often hidden from view, and one of the things that volunteers at these projects say they gain is an appreciation of what is going on around them. 

“Everybody thought this was an affluent area. So did I. I never thought I’d be doing this two years ago. I never thought I’d be setting up a project like this. And then your eyes actually open and you go, actually, there’s a lot of need right on our doorstep. In all shapes and forms. And it’s not just about needing a meal. It’s about sharing a meal, actually meeting others.”

Unpacking the impact 

It’s clear that these community meals that James helps to run have a direct and significant impact on the people who attend each week. The two- and three-course hot meals that they provide address a real need for help in the community. “Last night, a family of eight turned up with young children, and they ate two lots of food. This is kids coming up for seconds, and they’d already had a huge plate full…You think, hold on, something really is going wrong here.”  

“It’s just a growing demand now, and I’m seeing that across the whole of Oxfordshire.”

But it’s not just food that people need. They also come to the lunches for company and to connect with others in a safe, friendly and non-judgmental setting. The regulars look forward to seeing each other and sharing a meal. “That’s what it’s about, you know. They all meet up and they sit in their usual places. And it’s great.” “It’s about keeping communities together as well as helping them,” says James. 

 

These projects also help connect people to wider support networks. Volunteers can signpost them to other local services and help them to understand what kinds of support are available. 

What James started in Wantage has helped create a whole new network of hot meal services within Oxford. James helped to set up the meal service at St Michael’s in Summertown, for example, just a few months ago, when a community liaison officer for Oxford City Council approached him after hearing about another project he runs in Botley at St Frideswide’s. Now that he’s cooking in Summertown, he makes an extra 50 meals and sends them down to the Gatehouse, a homelessness charity based at St. Giles, helping them to provide hot meals once a week and extending the network further.  

“We want it to grow.”  

The service in Summertown was set up to provide meals for refugees and other vulnerable people currently living at a local hotel with no cooking facilities, but in the short time it’s been running, it’s already become clear that there are plenty of others in the community who are also in need.  

The projects break down barriers for volunteers, too, helping them to understand better how other people in their community live and the struggles they face. “I send two of the volunteers each week to the Gatehouse to see the homeless people and actually realise that this is happening in your local community. These people are there. It’s not just word on the street that there’s people needing [help]. Go and see for yourself. And a few of them have been wary to do it, but afterwards they said, thank you so much for doing that, for pushing me to go there…Unless you put yourself out there to go and see, you don’t realise.” 

The impact of James’ work on the community extends beyond mealtimes, helping to create a sense of purpose and resilience in these communities that has led to collective action to find solutions to problems they face. For example, after the council recently told him that the kitchen at St Frideswide’s Church would need to be extended and improved in order to pass the food hygiene inspection and be able to continue to serve meals, the whole community has come together to help raise the money needed for this project, which will cost around £35000. 

Learning about waste 

While waste reduction is not the main aim of this project, the meals that James provides through the projects he helps to run also raise awareness about waste. Everyone who comes to the lunches is told where the food comes from, and leaflets about Oxford Food Hub are displayed, sparking conversations about food waste and landfill. 

An Impact Study, created by Cherwell Collective and Oxford Food Hub in partnership with James Hart