The Free My Meal scheme runs all year, with a special Christmas campaign (Picture: Getty Images)
One hundred families across the country will be able to enjoy a Christmas dinner this year thanks to one woman: Hayley Steere.
The 43-year-old, based in Goldaming, Surrey, is the brains behind Free My Meal, a groundbreaking initiative that pairs people in need of free hot food with those happy to cook for them.
Hayley calls it a ‘connection service’ and claims she can ‘take no credit at all to be honest’, instead thanking the volunteers who sign up to help people who live nearby.
We say she’s being a little too modest.
During the first Covid lockdown, the mum of three children aged one, six and 19 wondered how single parents were coping and wanted to help, having previously been in that situation herself.
The idea for Free My Meal came to her, and her niece, one night whilst chatting via the family’s daily Zoom call. On this occasion Hayley was cooking a chilli con carne, as she often did.
‘The running joke in my family is that I always cook chilli in huge amounts. But it comes from when I was a single parent: chilli is cheap, very easy to make and delicious to eat,’ Hayley, who’s now remarried, tells Metro.co.uk.
‘I was talking to my family on this video call and making chilli and they’re all laughing about me making it again.
‘I suddenly thought “there’s absolutely loads of chilli here, why don’t I share this?”’
Free my Meal founder Hayley Steere (Picture: Diana Field Photography)
Hayley chatted about the idea with her then 13-year-old niece, Imogen, who thought it was great. But Imogen wasn’t so keen on Hayley’s idea to call it “Chilli Spot”, telling her that not everyone likes chilli.
Imogen helped Hayley to see the bigger picture, bringing in the ideas of being proactive and the possibility of sharing any leftover meal. Free My Meal was born.
That night, Hayley set up a Facebook group and sent it to a few friends. Within an hour or so they had 50 people in the group.
Hayley remembers: ‘I said to my husband, this is insane. Members are just constantly joining. I think that night we ended up with 250 people and by the end of the week we had 500. And it was all walks of life, all different, needing help or wanting to help.’
Interest was snowballing and Halyey realised she needed to put some structure in place. Within a week she’d set up a website and taken on four volunteer administrators.
Now, there’s a simple form to fill out for offering or wanting to receive a meal. Those offering food and those in need of a meal are then matched by administrators.
Safeguarding measures are in place, such as guidelines to never drop off food alone, to protect the giver and receiver, and there’s also a Grocery Fund to which supporters can donate to help the not-for-profit enterprise. This fund is also used for supermarket shops for individuals when someone is in need and a provider can’t be found.
There are now 59 Free My Meal groups, with well over 20,000 members across the UK, facilitating thousands of free meals every year.
Hayley believes that it isn’t her who is feeding people. ‘It’s actually communities, helping communities and feeding communities,’ she says.
‘That person might be your next door neighbour, or it might be someone who’s a couple of miles away who just happens to have an extra portion.’
Amy Mallinson (left) and Amber Rogers (right) with one of Amber’s homecooked meals (Picture: Supplied)
Amber Rogers, 41, from Walton-on-Thames, is among those who’ve cooked for others. Amber, who lives with her husband and three children of five, seven and nine, heard about the project in early 2020 and immediately knew she wanted to be involved.
‘I love to cook and sharing makes it so much better,’ she says. ‘As a mother to three small children, it breaks my heart to imagine any parent worried about the next meal for their family. It shouldn’t be happening but Free My Meal makes it easier by connecting people like myself who overcook and others needing a helping hand.’
Amber feels it has helped her connect with her community. She has cooked more than 200 meals for others, including curries, chilli and other mince-based dishes, plus breakfasts and pasta bakes. Festive meals have included a full Christmas Dinner, including cheese board, and Easter roasts.
Amy Mallinson, 37, is a single parent of three children, aged three, 14 and 16. She started using Free My Meal as a recipient in September 2020 when she was based in Shere. Now living in Guildford, she says that as a disabled woman, unable to work due to fibromyalgia and osteoarthritis, it has helped her when money got tight and she had to choose between heating the home or feeding her children.
‘I’ve used Free My Meal about nine times in three years and I aim one day to be able to give back and do some cooking,’ she tells Metro.co.uk.
The initiative has reinforced Amy’s faith in the kindness of others when life gets hard.
Amy’s dinner for a stranger, ready to send (Picture: Supplied)
‘I have learnt that there are still kind people willing to help and no matter how hard it may be to admit, never feel ashamed to ask for help,’ she says.
‘I was extremely ashamed the first time I had to ask for help as it made me feel like I had failed in my duties as a parent. I quickly learnt that I have not failed, I did the best thing for them in reaching out for help. No one should ever be made to feel bad about that.’
This Christmas, Hayley is joining forces with Kate Hall from The Full Freezer to help ease the pressure of the festive season. They have created a Christmas campaign to help prepare a festive dinner in advance, and even donate a meal to those unable to afford their own.
12 Days of Kindness
You’re reading 12 Days Of Kindness, Metro.co.uk’s series celebrating the people going above and beyond to help others. From grassroots projects to individual acts of selflessness, follow each day as we name our Christmas community heroes.
By doing this, not only can families spread the cost and workload of their Christmas meal, but also avoid wasting foods, such as potatoes, carrots and bread. Instead, these are tucked away in the freezer ready for their special day.
At least 100 households will be receiving a free meal this Christmas, though the ever-growing network and sign-ups make exact numbers hard to track.
Hayley emphasizes that help is available all year round for those who need it, though, and she’ll never means test users.
‘A wide range of people can find themselves in need of food, whether they are in work or not,’ she says. ‘Anyone who asks for a portion of spaghetti bolognese is in need, whatever they or anyone else thinks.’
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‘Never feel ashamed to ask for help.’
