THE founder of an award-winning charity which recently celebrated its fifth anniversary says it has been overwhelmed by the generosity of its supporters as it delivers food parcels to those in need during the Coronavirus pandemic.
Dom’s Food Mission was set up in May 2015 by husband and wife Dominic and Alexandria Warren, to help feed less fortunate people and to make an impact on food waste.
Initially just a community group supporting those living in the Hastings area – where the Warren family live – Dom’s Food Mission became a registered charity 12 months later and now has the backing of retail giants including Marks and Spencer, Morrisons, Greggs, Costa Coffee and KFC.
They have been feeding more than 5,000 people a month during the Coronavirus pandemic and, more recently, they helped to deliver Easter eggs to NHS workers at hospitals in Derby and Barnsley.
Dominic Warren said: “This is an extremely worrying time for many people in the UK and so we’re delighted to be doing our bit to help.
“Our charity is a small team of just 20 and although we initially set up Dom’s Food Mission to help reduce poverty in children, we now feed ex-Service men and women, homeless, war veterans and refugees.
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“We have been fortunate to receive backing from the National Lottery, which has enabled us to continue to operate during this difficult time and have been overwhelmed with the support which we have received.
“Marks and Spencer were the first corporate supporters of Dom’s Food Mission but we have been lucky to receive backing from other major businesses, who donate surplus food supplies for us to distribute. We’re also extremely grateful to businesses local to the Hastings area, who also donate surplus food and provide financial help.”
Ex-professional footballer Marlon Harewood, who played for Premier League side West Ham and Newcastle United, is a patron of the charity, which is also supported by Wayne Lineker; brother of former England striker – and Match of the Day host – Gary Lineker.
Derby County footballers Kelle Roos and Duane Holmes are also advocates of Dom’s Food Mission and Holmes, the USA international, donated two enormous crates of Easter eggs for staff at the Royal Derby Hospital and Barnsley Hospital, where his mum works, over the Bank Holiday.
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Dominic is hoping that exposure for his charity nationwide will lead to further parts of the UK receiving help from the charity.
He said: “As well as feeding those in need, the impact we’re having on the environment is encouraging; we’re stopping, on average, 35,000 tonnes of food going to landfill every month.”
For Dominic, the last five years have been a bit of a whirlwind.
The idea for Dom’s Food Mission came following a routine trip to the dentist for Dom in May 2015. Working as an electrician, the 30-year-old was saddened to meet a young family struggling to make ends meet in the dentist’s waiting room.
Together with his wife Alexandria, the pair created a Facebook group and began arranging drop-offs for donations of food and essential items in a Hastings car park, which were subsequently taken to a local food bank.
As their Facebook community grew, so did interest. The Salvation Army got in touch, asking if there were any food donations and, just six months after setting up ‘Dom’s Food Mission’, they were contacted by the regional manager of Marks and Spencer.
“I couldn’t quite believe that the likes of Marks and Spencer wanted to become involved,” said Dom, “I thought that it was a bit of a wind-up.”
As news of Dom’s mission spread, so did the interest and need for such a service.
Supermarket giants Morrison’s and ASDA got on board, donation days in store became regular occurrences and, their social media profile grew.
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Their Facebook group reached 1k members and Dom decided that he wanted to create a project, still under the Dom’s Food Mission umbrella, where his team would take surplus food into schools to educate pupils on how to prepare and cook healthy meals.
“Tesco have been a long-time supporter of Dom’s Food Mission and they were very supportive of this initiative,” said Dom.
“Tesco Community Champions – volunteers who work in store – show the children around their local store teaching them the meaning of how to save foods from being thrown away.
“As a nation, we throw away tonnes and tonnes of food each year and our aim is to show they what we can do with the bread that’s close to its use-by date, how to turn over ripe bananas into a delicious pudding etcetera.
“Surplus food is then taken into school where the future of tomorrow are taught how to prepare a meal – from washing it to cooking it.
“These meals are then distributed to those less fortunate people, including homeless and those struggling to make ends meet.”
The Helping Hand project won a national award in 2018 and, a year later, Dom’s Food Mission were invited to apply for a National Lottery grant.
“I applied for the National Lottery grant, not really expecting much,” said Dom, “but we received a reply from them within a matter of days and they have been extremely supportive.
“The grant from the National Lottery enabled me to quit my job and to make this a full-time venture. They have also been extremely supportive during this difficult time, where a lot of charities are struggling.”
Working for Dom’s Food Mission is a labour of love for the 35-year-old, who has adopted the title CEO and founder of the charity.
He has also bagged himself a few celebrity followers along the way, who he hopes can help to raise the profile and the good work being done nationwide.
“It is all excellent exposure for our work,” said Dom, who has delivered 5,500 COVID-19 care packages over the last week.
“I have high hopes for the future of the charity. We’ve come a long way from the days of loading my car full of food and packaging parcels up in the dining room.
“It has been hard work – I have the most amazing team working alongside me – but it’s also very rewarding.”
ENDS
For further information please contact Kerry Ganly on 07734 723951 or email [email protected]
