Ivybridge Community Food wins Mayor's backing in Charity of the Year choice
Councillor Phillip Dredge has selected Ivybridge Community Food as his Charity of the Year, highlighting the organisation's volunteer-led work tackling food waste
The Mayor of Ivybridge, Councillor Phillip Dredge, has chosen Ivybridge Community Food (ICF) as his Charity of the Year for 2026/27.
The organisation, based at St John's Church, works to reduce food waste by redistributing good-quality surplus food through community food initiatives, helping local people access affordable food.
The Mayor will spend the coming year raising awareness of the charity and supporting fundraising to help it continue its work across the town.
Councillor Dredge said: "I am delighted to choose Ivybridge Community Food as my Charity of the Year.
“The project takes food that might otherwise go to waste and uses it to make a real difference locally, helping people access affordable food at a time when household budgets remain under pressure.
"What ICF has achieved through its volunteers and partnerships is fantastic, and I hope that by supporting them over the coming year we can raise awareness of their work, generate much-needed funds and help them continue to reach more people across Ivybridge."
St John's Church has hosted and provided significant support to ICF since it began, with the church café also helping make use of surplus food and providing a place for people to meet.
The organisation works with a number of partners, including The Dove Project, FareShare South West, Ivybridge Town Council, Asda and Community Action Groups Devon, as well as local businesses and other food partners.
According to the council, these partnerships help source and redistribute surplus food while supporting ICF's work in the community.
Previous fundraising and successful grant applications have enabled ICF to expand its service.
Funding for a dedicated storage shed has increased the amount of food it can store and redistribute, allowing it to support more local families.
The charity's next aim is to employ a part-time coordinator to help manage the service, support volunteers and provide additional capacity as demand continues to grow.
Throughout his mayoral year, Councillor Dredge will support fundraising and awareness campaigns for the charity, with opportunities for residents, businesses and community groups to get involved through volunteering, fundraising and donations.
The announcement has been welcomed on social media.
One resident described Ivybridge Community Food as "such an amazing charity with incredible volunteers", while Community Action Groups Devon said the Mayor's decision was "fabulous" and "much deserved".
Ivybridge Community Food thanked the Mayor for choosing the organisation, describing the announcement as "wonderful news".