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Coisceimeanna is a large childcare facility that caters for over 100 children on a daily basis—situated in Trim, Co. Meath. We are one of eleven childcare services under the umbrella company Crann.

Crann is a community voluntary organisation that provides numerous childcare services and several social inclusion projects. Its core areas are childcare, family resources, employment schemes, youth projects, and drug and alcohol rehabilitation programmes.

Our relationship with FoodCloud began just under two years ago, it was instigated by the need to reduce rising food and energy costs without compromising the standard of food we provide to the children. We had no idea then that this was only the start of the journey.

The food we receive is primarily used to provide meals to the children, anything from cereals to smoothies and plenty in between! In addition, dry ingredients like porridge, pasta and even coffee beans take on a very different but critical role in their sensory/messy play curriculum.

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‍Sometimes, due to the presence of particular allergens or receiving large volumes of specific food, we have excess stock, but it doesn’t go to waste. We established a small “pop-up shop” in our staff Canteen where staff can pick and choose items they would use at home. Not only does it provide a small bit of relief to households, but it has also made every one of us more aware of the devastating effects food waste has socially, economically, and environmentally.

The driving force behind Crann has always been the welfare of children, adults, and families, particularly the most vulnerable in our society. With that in mind, the catering staff, along with our CEO, Marie Daly, wanted to offer our parents a system similar to that in the staff canteen. After much planning and organisation, and with the support of our colleagues and Food Cloud, we opened our first “Donation Station.”         

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Here the parents can pick and choose items that they feel suit their individual needs. We provide recipe leaflets on using leftovers and handy tips on ways to reduce food waste at home. The project is only in its infancy stage at the moment but it has already received a very positive response. Our main goal is to provide partial relief to our families while raising awareness surrounding the impact of food wastage within our households. Our aspirations for the future are to replicate a similar system in our other services. Additionally we would love to progress to a more circular system. With appropriate storage and monitoring procedures, parents and staff could bring in their surplus foodstuffs from home for repurposing, therefore further reducing our carbon footprint collectively as a community.