From Monday 5th to Sunday 11th December, in partnership with Leeds City Council and St John’s Shopping Centre, primary children from three Leeds schools will be opening their own Toasted Sandwich shop.
As part of Fuel for School, a programme delivered to schools by The Real Junk Food Project to remove hunger as a barrier to learning, children will be using surplus / waste food to make the sandwiches and gaining valuable vocational experiences through their business venture.
In addition to sandwiches customers will have access to a food boutique. All the food is available on a “Pay As You Feel” basis.
The shop was official opened on Friday 2nd Dec by the Lord Mayor of Leeds, Councillor Gerry Harper.
The shop will trade daily between 10.00am and 2.00pm.
Fuel for School was launched on 8th Dec 2015, on this day 10,000 children across Leeds, Bradford and Doncaster were provided with a breakfast made from surplus / waste food. 38 schools across Leeds now access the programme.
Fuel for School has 3 main objectives: 1. Remove hunger as a barrier to learning. 2. Improve Wellbeing outcomes for children and families. 3. Highlight the global issue of food waste.
The launch of the shop will further promote the project that was created by the Founder of The Real Junk Food Project, Adam Smith and Headteacher of Richmond Hill Primary School, Nathan Atkinson.
Fuel for School has been widely acknowledged as an intervention that is influencing change across the city and beyond.
Fuel for School operates 52 weeks a year and in doing so supports schools in addressing the issue of Holiday Hunger.
Community Manager for the Leeds Rhinos Foundation Gareth Cook, who attended the launch with Club Mascot Ronnie the Rhino to help raise awareness of the project commented:
"We are delighted to support the Real Junk Food Project with their pop up shop. It is a wonderful opportunity for young children to take responsibility and also provide affordable meals using the food that would have generally gone to waste.
"The Real Junk Food linked with us for Children’s Day this year and will now be strongly linked with some of our partner schools through this project, so we are looking forward to a long and fruitful partnership benefiting the local community."
The project will feature in the pending series of Jamie Oliver’s 'Jamie and Jimmy’s Friday Night Feast.'
Since filming Jamie Oliver has been motivated to speak out about the issue of Holiday Hunger http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2016-11-07/jamie-oliver-gears-up-to-tackle-holiday-hunger