A VITAL Ross-on-Wye food project has been donated a £3,000 boost from the town’s Lions Club, helping it to continue putting good food on local tables instead of sending it to landfill.

The donation will help the Zero Waste Stall, based at Ross Community Garden, cover rising costs as it works towards a more secure long-term future.

“This donation will enable us to keep the service running over the coming years,” said Adrian Bagg, one of the stall managers.

David Lingwood of Ross Lions said: “The reason we raise money is to make a genuine difference in the community, and we are certain this donation will have a substantial local impact.”

The need is clear. In the past year, the Zero Waste Stall has redistributed 47 tonnes of surplus food, welcomed more than 10,500 visits, and been powered by volunteers giving over 3,000 hours of their time.

The stall has also launched a Friends group to help meet rising transport costs, including food collections from Fareshare.

The Zero Waste Stall in Ross provides food for people in need in the town, saving thousands of kilos of food from landfill.

The organisation provides over 40 tonnes of fruit, vegetables and non-perishable goods every year, to over 1,000 visitors per month, supporting people through the cost-of-living crisis.

The stall at the Community Garden in Gloucester Road is open six days a week between 10.30am and 11.30am. Anyone in need of food is welcome to go along. All food is entirely free.

The food the stall provides comes from a variety of sources, including surplus fruit and vegetables grown in the Community Garden, fresh food from local supermarkets, and non-perishable items from larger distributors of surplus food.

The organisation relies on monetary donations to help it collect, store and distribute food. Supporters can help by giving a few pounds a month. Details are available by emailing [email protected].