SERC Cook Up Food Donations in College Kitchen

The Hospitality and Catering team from South Eastern Regional College (SERC) have been keeping their skills and facilities to good use by creating  nutritious meals for vulnerable people in the local community which were distributed from the College’s Downpatrick Campus and delivered to clients of Golden Memories, the student company activity group for older people.

Thanks to the donation of a £1000 grant from Food for Life Get Togethers which is run by the Soil Association and funded through the Community Fund to help with the emergency response for those struggling for food during the COVID-19 pandemic, teams from SERC’s Hospitality and Catering, student company Golden Memories  and Enterprise and Entrepreneurship, purchased ingredients to make nutritious meals including roast stuff chicken, sausages, mash and vegetables, Yorkshire pudding and onion gravy, vegetable broth and wheaten bread and assorted muffins, which were prepared in the College’s training kitchens by catering lecturers and support staff.

Thomas Turley, Lecturer in Hospitality and Catering said, “Our aim was to produce, cook and chill food to be reheated at home and we were delighted to make over 250 meal donations to clients from local partner organisations including Radius Housing’s Quoile Fold, MACS Supporting Children and Young People , Mindwise Downpatrick, Down Sure Start, Society of St Vincent de Paul, Adult Learning Disability Resource Centre, Simon Community NI and Golden Memories.   We have been working with our partners to organise for the food to be collected by representatives and clients, or distributed to vulnerable people in the community who are self-isolating who do not have a family member or neighbour who can deliver shopping to their doorstep whilst following strict social distancing guidelines.

Thomas concluded, “Securing the funding allowed us to utilise our skills, experience and facilities to help respond to localised food needs by working with local organisations to distribute to those most vulnerable.   It has been great for us also to get back into the College kitchens, do what we love and share our passion for good food by supporting people in the local community during these challenging times.”

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Caption: SERC Downpatrick Campus Raey Price, Catering Technician, Megan Rollins, Innovation Advisor, Heather McKee, Director of Strategic Planning, Quality and Support, Dearbhla Knight, Innovation Advisor  and Thomas Turley Hospitality and Catering Lecturer display some of the baked goods and freshly cooked and chilled food meals ready for distribution for people in the local community.

SERC Health and Social Care Lecturer, Rosie Peters (Castlewellan) preparing to deliver meals and baked treats, prepared in the College, to Golden Memories clients in Downpatrick area.