Meals From Marlow
No hungry people in Marlow
Towards the end of March 2020, during the Covid-19 pandemic, the needs of our local community became clearer than ever.
Wexham Park Hospital in Slough posted on their social platforms about their staff, who were working 18-hour shifts, eating from vending machines and when they finally found the time to reach the supermarket – they were met with empty shelves because of panic buying.
It’s not as though we had the medical skills to help them complete their lifesaving work – so we thought we can at least keep them fed with proper food while they help us all.
This sparked motivation for Tom Kerridge, Andy Agar and Chris Hughes to help. They set up a Go Fund Me page and were shocked to see, with the help of the amazing local residents, that the target of £100,000 was raised in just two days!
With the support of Pub In The Park and Lush by Tom Kerridge alongside the teams at The Hand and Flowers and The Coach, a ready meal production line was set up for those who needed it most. All Saints Marlow provided a volunteer team to deliver the meals to local families who were most in need.
In 2021, over £100,000 in funding for a 3rd year was raised with a charity dinner at the Compleat Angler Hotel. The founders continue to be involved in providing support and kitchen facilities. A team from All Saints Marlow manages the day to day operations.
Together, we have now cooked and delivered over 150,000 meals. At the peak of the lockdown period, we were delivering more than 750 meals to those who needed it most each and every day! Nutritious ready meals were sent to Wexham Park Hospital, Wycombe General Hospital, The Link Foundation in Maidenhead, and Marlow Parish council. From there, they were distributed to the medical and other key workers who desperately needed help.
What was initially a short-term service to provide whatever help we could has become a long-term project so that the team can continue to help those who really need it.
Whilst 150,000 meals is beyond all that we expected to achieve when we set up Meals From Marlow last year, we haven’t finished yet.
Today, Meals From Marlow delivers over 500 meals per week to Marlow, Slough and Bracknell. Volunteers are always needed to deliver meals on Wednesday and Saturday mornings.
The project is managed by Muriel Reynolds and Alison Branch. To refer someone to receive a meal, or to volunteer please contact them on mealsfrommarlow@4u-team.org