The food waste 'saints' feeding city's children

The food waste 'saints' feeding city's childrenJust nowShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleJack Hadaway-WellerYorkBBCMarian Hodgson and Janet Leng met volunteering together in 2021Two women who have helped to feed "tens of thousands" of children said they are proud of how they are helping families deal with the cost of living crisis.Janet Leng, 75, and Marian Hodgson, 39, volunteer with I Am Reusable food bank in York and redistribute food which would otherwise go to waste.The pair have partnered with several schools, including those with higher numbers of pupils eligible for free midday meals, to deliver surplus items.Leng said: "There's so much donated that there's often more than the food banks can cope with, and some of it goes to the schools."Janet Leng stores a lot of the food in freezers in a garage before it heads to the food bankThe duo regularly pick up food from local businesses which is either lightly damaged, past its best before date but before its use by date, or not needed.The supplies, which come from shops, restaurants and train operators, are then split between I Am Reusable's food bank and schools.Hodgson said: "Working through the years with Janet and with certain schools we know which school would like each thing."It's automatic, our brain says 'that needs to go there and that needs to go there' and if we get stuck we liaise with each other."Gavin Kumar said around 40% of children at York High School are on free school mealsOne of the schools which Leng and Hodgson work with is York High, which has a pupil population that is among the city's most deprived.Food donated to the school is served at breakfast clubs or as an additional supplement to school meals.Longer-life products such as canned goods or cereals are used to help stock the school's community cupboard.The school's principal, Gavin Kumar, said: "Janet's a walking, talking, living sa...