OWC Charity Day

Give a little, gain a lot

Before the second UK lockdown was announced, a team of OWC staff met up safely to volunteer outdoors and help a London charity.

The team visited Good Food Matters, a small charity making a big difference in Croydon. It’s a food growing and cookery school, with a mission to enable everyone to cook and grow nutritious, balanced meals – making a positive impact on the health and wellbeing of their community. During the pandemic, Good Food Matters has adapted its services to offer free fruit and vegetables to local food banks.

The team took on practical tasks to help get the site ready for winter. More importantly, they got to find out more about the charity and how it helps the local community, all while bonding with their colleagues.

“As a recent new starter, it was great to at last to meet my new colleagues face to face,” said graduate Timo Zheng. “It was very rewarding knowing that we all did something to help the charity.”

Amy Dowdeswell also enjoyed the experience of volunteering and meeting her colleagues. “It felt really good to get outdoors in the fresh air. Good fun, good exercise and great to chat about work, meet new people and find out more about the charity”.

Ernesto, the gardener from the charity, was delighted with the efforts of the team. “I can’t thank you enough for what you all achieved in a day and choosing to give your time to help us. We’re a small charity and your help is very much appreciated by everyone. You’ve made such a difference. Please visit us again.”