Food & Drink Awards 2021

Page 38 www.lux-review.com LUX 2021 Food & Drink Awards Committed to promoting the growth of self-sustaining, resilient communities, NEO Community (NEO) is at the forefront of reducing food waste and food insecurity through awareness, education and food provision. Founded in 2013, NEO quickly became recognised as a key provider of food assistance and support throughout the local community and has grown in size, success and delivery through the sheer determination and passion of the entire NEO team. Proudly achieving charity status in March 2019, NEO has continued to broaden, develop and deliver a range of services in support of its local and wider community. In the shop, café, and for all its services, NEO operates a ‘pay-as-you-feel’ system. The payas-you-feel concept is a fundamental element of NEO and is as important to the charity as reducing food waste. The pay-as-you-feel system asks that people pay what they think is a fair price for the goods or services provided, and at a price they can afford. But with regard to affordability, NEO equally values the alternative of people volunteering their time, skills and energy to support it. This can be as simple as offering to wash the pots, clean the windows, or help to ensure that everyone can access the shop (or perhaps take a bag for a neighbour). NEO has found that the pay-as-you-feel concept fosters a sense of community, and enhances the relationship between the people who run, use, and volunteer at NEO – something that doesn’t happen in the mainstream economy. Neo Community is also proud to offer the NEO 50 Partnership - a simple idea that has been proven to make a big difference. The concept is easy to grasp – 50 local or national businesses, or individuals, pledge an amount Oct21526 Neo Community Best Community Food Support Service 2021 - UK of money each month to NEO, which allows it to build up a fund that underpins the work that NEO does all across the Wirral, creating stability for the projects and the teams. Unfortunately, there just isn’t the money available from local or national government to support community development. Therefore, NEO needs private investment, working directly with community causes, to generate new money for the area. This model ensures long-term sustainable social change and creates significant impact in the community. NEO’s goals are to reduce poverty and its impacts, to encourage good environmental practices and to secure prosperity and growth for all. What it is proposing is not charitable donations but investment in people and communities to create well-being, good health, aspiration, and prosperity for generations to come. In June 2021 NEO’s Volunteers were honoured to receive the Queens Award for Voluntary Services. This is a huge honour and acknowledges the time, energy and passion that the Charity has dedicated to the community over the last 2 years. Recently, the charity was rewarded for its hard work and dedication by receiving the title of Best Community Food Support Service 2021 in the UK, in the LUXlife Food and Drink Awards. Long may NEO continue to get the support it needs to prosper and help the community in which it operates. Company: Neo Community Charity Number: 1182608 Number: 0151 647 598 Email: [email protected] Web Address: www.neocommunity.org.uk NEO Community is a community organisation working within The Wirral and Northwest, tackling food insecurity and organising grass root action. We take a more in-depth look at what NEO provides in the wake of it winning this LUXlife Food and Drink Award.

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