A CAERNARFON community food share project which helps feed the hungry could soon be providing a warm place to go for those struggling amid the cost of living crisis.

The Porthidre project on St Helen’s Road  currently runs a weekly project distributing surplus food at very low cost.

But the centre is now evolving into a much larger community hub to provide a raft of integrated services under one roof.

Organisers at the volunteer run scheme, in the former Age Concern building, hope the centre will bring people together, help tackle poverty and also fight loneliness.

As prices of energy continues to rise, and with many turning off their heating and cooking appliances, the scheme hopes it could a provide a place where people could come several times a week, spend a few hours enjoying the company of others and a hot meal.

The project already runs a successful food-share scheme which can help those struggling on a budget  and is helping to prevent food waste.

Different to a food bank, the weekly food share operates more like a super low cost shop.

Volunteer Eleri Lovgreen, a former translator, teacher, and volunteer for the Barnardo’s charity, said: “The customers pay £3 for a bag of food.

“It is all good food, just surplus donated from local supermarkets such as Tesco and Morrison’s and other sources, but we never quite know exactly what we will be getting.”

On Wednesday, another of the centre’s volunteer’s Alun Roberts, who grows food, had brought in a selection of freshly grown lettuces, carrots, leeks  and potatoes from a town centre community allotment scheme which helps people cope with mental health issues.

Eleri added “How it work is, everyone gets given the same size bag and are allowed to choose whatever items they need.”

“The food  can include everything from everyday staples from loaves of bread, to chilled items including yohurts, meats and pies, as well as tinned goods, as well as  fresh fruit and veg.”

The fare-share scheme itself, morphed out of a former lockdown food initiative started during lockdown, and run by volunteers.

Porthidre volunteer Caernarfon Town Councillor Ann Hopcyn who also helps out at  ‘O Law i Law’  a sister project selling low cost children and baby clothes and items, said:

“The food we provide is all good food, much of it is just the surplus from the supermarkets which would otherwise be thrown away.

“We are able to sell it at a  much cheaper price to people, so it can help someone who might be on a budget, but the fare-share service is available  to absolutely everyone regardless of income.

“It is just a like a shop,  just much cheaper, and this way nothing gets wastes and the food is providing nutrition for some people who might otherwise go without.”

The developing Porthidre hub is run by project manager Cemlyn Williams.

He is a former Gwynedd Councillor education cabinet member and an ex civil servant who has background expertise in social security benefit. He is also a retired chief officer for the  Citizens Advice Bureau

He managers a team of 20 volunteers but says as the project is developing  they are looking for more help.

But the Porthidre’s new hub,  has been possible due to around £150,000 of grants so far, including from the Welsh Government and Gwynedd Council.

The money is being used to build a professional kitchen and the scheme  hopes soon to employ a cook to make meals from the left over donated food items.

The project has ambitions for its new kitchen to be used to help people to learn catering skills.

The hub also plans a community lounge area, with a TV, as well as an IT room devoted to computers for public use.

One room is used to store and sort donated items of children’s clothes and other items, which are sold at the sister community initiative O Law i Law shop in the town centre.

Cemlyn Williams said “It is our vision to provide the public with place they can drop in and access a whole range of integrated services.

“One of our aims to address loneliness, to help vulnerable people, particularly those people living on their own.

“There  are also people struggling with the cost of living, on budgets or pensions, we can provide a safe and warm environment to come and meet others, spend a few hours a week, maybe have a meal, and to be able to access information on available services.

“We have been quite ambitious, we have a a lot of work to do yet, we have taken on a seven year lease, and we have a lot of plans, we are putting a professional kitchen in, and hope to employ a cook.

“We also aim to help people access skills and training, we could see people learning to cook or gain other skills like waiting on, that could then be used, like helping to provide or serve food to users in the hub.

“We have a room dedicated to having computers so people can drop in to access online information and services, and a place you can ask thing how to use smart phones,  laptops, or using the internet.

“We hope to provide training and classes, everything is online these days and not everyone has access, but there are services available online such help with mental health or cost of living issues.”

He also appealed for more volunteers: “We’d love ot have more volunteers come and join us.”

The Welsh Government Minister for Social Justice Jane Hutt is also due to visit the centre on Friday.

Deliveries of food are made to the Porthidre centre on Wednesdays. The food-share is available to customers usually from 4pm opening.