M-C is based at our Hall Road community hub. She offers advice and signposting for support services to members of our Social Supermarket based there.
Email: m-c@thefeed.org.uk
We caught up with M-C in November 2023 and asked her a few questions to get to know her better.
How long have you worked at The Feed?
I've worked at The Feed for two years.
Tell us about your role.
I am the Community Engagement Lead and am based at The Feed's Social Supermarket and Community Café on Hall Road in Norwich. There are two parts to my role:
Supporting our members to start their own community projects. An example is the Rhyme Time group for toddlers and parents, which is already taking place active in two of The Feed's venues. There is also a community allotment project in its initial stages and other groups are in the planning stage.
Leading our 'First Steps' project. When a person joins the Social Supermarket, I get in touch and offer an appointment to meet. This is for members who would like some support to meet their needs and goals. This could be anything from cost of living help, support for their mental health, accessing a college course, help to find work. I can then link them up with organisations that can do some one to one work with them. It really can be anything. We have a great network of organisations that support people, including some who provide free, drop in advice in our Community Café.
There's lots more about support available to our Social Supermarket members here: https://thefeed.org.uk/our-projects/moreformembers
What do you like about your role?
I love engaging with people and being able to see their journey. They will often come to us with difficulties they are facing, but we have things to offer to help, or we find someone who can!
What's your favourite food in our cafes or on our catering menu?
Savoury - I love the mushroom stroganoff. Sweet - got the be the gluten free triple chocolate brownie. Scrummy!
Your dream meal - where would you go, who with and what's on the menu?
It would have to be Japanese food, probably in Shiki in Tombland because lots of Japanese people eat there, and it is really authentic. I'd go for sukiyaki, which is a Japanese hotpot. I lived in Tokyo for a while and I love the food. Who with? With Jeremy Corbyn, the grandfather I never met because he passed before I was born, Sarah Millican because she's hilarious and Bill Gates, to try and get him to donate lots of money to The Feed!
What do you do to relax?
I go to yoga, walk with friends usually around the fields where I live and watch my kids play football. I'm not sure the last one is relaxing but it is enjoyable.