That’s what it said on a poster in one of the many corridors from my secondary school. I think the intention was to install a belief within our young impressionable minds that everything has a price, and no one does anything for nothing. I can see now why I question all intention and motivation and need to understand if people are offering me something for nothing. If it is too good to be true, then it is a scam. Right?

Supporting the uptake and allocation of the recent “Food Resilience Grants” funded through “Somerset County Council” challenged that perception on why people do things and expect nothing in return.

Thirty-five grants allocated, and thirty community led groups supported by Smart Communities to ensure they could benefit from grants and organisational support demonstrated that people really do want to help even if there is no free lunch.

From shelves, sheds, fridges, freezers, soup makers, wild food foraging maps, how to cook workshops, community lunches, volunteer expenses and many initiatives and creative solutions to reuse, repurpose, redirect food that would be wasted you can be assured that Somerset community groups delivered.

There are people out there in Somerset communities giving their time, expertise, and pure grit determination to ensure that people in their communities do not go hungry and food is not wasted.

As we look to support others in building a food strategy for Somerset that can continue to develop food resilience and support those who are in most need those of us who have enough can ask what we can do to support and build better food resilience in our own communities.

Thank you to every one of you for what you have done, are doing and will do.

Community food warriors we salute you!

Watch this space for further updates on building food resilience within Somerset.