Three years ago, local business owners, Andy Agar, Tom Kerridge and Chris Hughes started up a free fresh meal delivery service in Marlow to feed NHS staff and those unable to leave their homes at the height of the pandemic.
Three years on the project, Meals from Marlow, is still running and now supports local people struggling with the cost-of-living and new Ukrainians arriving in the area with almost 800 meals a week. Working with the Head Chef at Lush catering business based in High Wycombe, All Saints Church, Marlow, and local charities and schools in Slough and Bracknell, Meals from Marlow provide freshly frozen healthy meals to households in need.
At a fundraising dinner in March this year, local people raised an unexpected £100,000 enabling the project to continue for another year. All Saints Church and a small team of dedicated volunteers play a key part in the running of the project by providing the space for food storage, managing the distribution of food, and building connections with local people to identify those in need.
Andy Agar reflects on the Meals from Marlow journey:
“We thought we’d only be doing this for about three months, but the generosity of time and money of local people has motivated us to continue serving those in our community in need. We have never had to say no to anyone.
“Our focus has changed each year as economic and pandemic situations changed nonetheless the need is still very much there among single parent households and those who have recently lost work. The newest part of the project is supporting Ukrainians who have been taken in by families locally, we can offer a months’ worth of support. Our role is to make it as easy as possible for them to settle in, make them feel welcome and offer companionship and advice.”
The Revd Dave Bull, Team Rector in Marlow, said:
“Being part of the project has given us an amazing opportunity to reach 300 households in Marlow and the surrounding area that the church wouldn’t otherwise have contact with. God has provided us with such resource, gifts, money and people to enable us to continue supporting our local community.
“It’s about making people feel like they haven’t been forgotten, building relationships with them, and offering support through the church and the community. Our vision is that there should be no hungry people in Marlow.”
