Easter Egg Giveaway Blog

by Beth Crook - April 2026

Cracking Open Easter: The Ultimate Egg Giveaway 

This year, The Grand Brighton made a generous and thoughtful contribution to the Real Junk Food Project by donating 100 Easter eggs, helping to ensure that every child in the community had the opportunity to take part in the celebrations.  Gestures like this highlight the importance of community partnerships and demonstrate how local organisations can work together to create meaningful, positive experiences for others. At a time when many families are facing financial pressures, acts of kindness such as this can make a significant difference, not only practically but also emotionally.

I had the opportunity to visit the Hub at Bevendean, where I supported the team in setting up a stand for the Easter Egg giveaway.  This was organised alongside the Hub’s regular ‘pay-as-you-feel' shop, which plays a vital role in reducing food waste while also supporting members of the community.  The shop was well stocked with a wide variety of items, including fresh vegetables, tinned goods, bread, and pastries.  Foods that would otherwise have gone to waste, but were instead redistributed to those who needed them.  Seeing the range and quality of the available food was a powerful reminder of how much perfectly good produce is often discarded, and how important initiatives like this are in addressing this issue.  There were lots of fresh veggies on offer, such as leeks, potatoes, lettuce and other greens.  This fresh produce contributed to creating a vibrant and inviting environment.

Throughout the day it was clear that The Hub provides more than just food; it offers a welcoming and inclusive environment where friendly volunteers allow people to feel comfortable and supported. The addition of the Easter Egg giveaway helped to create a sense of celebration, particularly for families with young children.  Shoppers were able to collect Easter eggs for their little ones, which brought visible joy and appreciation.  In addition, the raffle for a cuddly toy added an extra layer of excitement - encouraging engagement and creating a light-hearted, community-focused atmosphere.

Reflecting on the experience, it became clear how impactful these initiatives can be, both in terms of reducing waste and strengthening community connections.  The Real Junk Food Project not only redistributes surplus food but also promotes a more sustainable mindset.  Encouraging people to think differently about consumption and waste.  Being involved in even a small part of this process highlighted the value of volunteering and the importance of supporting community-led efforts. 

Helpful tip:  When dealing with surplus Easter food, it is important to remember that much of it can be reused rather than thrown away.  Easter chocolate, for example, can easily be incorporated into baking, such as cakes, cookies, or brownies.  Similarly, leftover hot cross buns can be transformed into a simple but delicious bread-and-butter pudding. 

Food Waste Week

Ways to reduce food waste

The catering industry is known for food wastage. Most of the food that customers order that they have not finished and do not want as a takeaway is thrown away. If too much stock is ordered and not used up by its expiry date or it goes bad it has to be thrown away.

A while back there was an app developed called “TooGoodToGo”. Restaurants use this app to sell food that they couldn’t sell that day. It was cheaper than sitting and having a meal at that restaurant. I  used it a few times and the food tasted great for the price. It was very cheap!

Some restaurants also donate their food or leftovers to charities. Which is good because the charities can give it to people that are less fortunate. 

When I was involved in my family restaurant, we always made sure that we ordered drinks that had an expiry date in 3 months or more. At home, we put the offcuts, peelings and eggs in a container which is put into the garden to become compost. We did a similar thing at the restaurant.

A take home tip:

It is always a good idea to prepare small amounts where possible or prepare what is needed for 2 days or 3 days and then eat it throughout the week. If you can split your food waste  into vegetables & peelings, cooked food & raw meat, the vegetables can be turned into compost. 

Kyle Davi

Meet Spam From The Hollingbean

This week we introduce you to Spam. A name that was given to one of our volunteers as a child by his school friends, not because of his love for tinned meat, but because of his appearance. 

Spam has a passion for food and music and combines the two taking his business, The Lizard Stage and Cafe to festivals across the UK.

What have we been up to recently?

We definitely started the year as we mean to go on!  On New Years Day our team was down at the One Church cooking away for our first community Feast of the new year! All the food that we cooked, was as always, made from ingredients that were deemed to be surplus by supermarkets, yet are perfectly edible

Meet Our Chief Cake Baker

Our sixth 'Meet the team' introduction is the lady behind many of the delicious home made cakes. Hundreds of you have been enjoying her home baking at the One Church Real in Brighton, and the Hollingbean cafe in Hollingdean. 

Val has been turning ingredients destined for the bin in to lovely sweet treats for TRJFP since the very start of the One Church cafe in Brighton.

The Hollingbean Has Sprouted

The Real Junk Food Project have been working incredibly hard over the summer and many of you may not have heard that our family has grown.

As well as some brilliant new volunteers, we have been reaching out to new communities across Brighton. We've run several local pop-up cafes and our new Hollingbean Cafe has been born.

The Hollingbean is a weekly cafe run from the Hollingdean Community Centre every Thursday from 1-3pm. We have been serving up our lovely intercepted lunches to many new local residents in this part of Brighton and some One Church regulars who are making the trip up the hill.

TRJFPB Support The Food Waste Bill in Parliament

On Tuesday 8th September, The Real Junk Food Project Brighton fed MP’s a wasted food buffet in the Houses of Parliament. Why? In support of Kerry McCarthys “Food Waste (Reduction) Bill”.