What happens when you combine three hours, a room full of aprons, and a shared mission to tackle food waste and food insecurity? You get Feed the 500 – a high-energy day, hosted on Wednesday 17th September 2025, of cooking, teamwork, and giving back, where corporate teams came together in Borough Market to cook hundreds of meals for local charities in need.
Hosted in partnership with Team Tactics, Emerge Cookery School and Borough Market, the event brought together corporate volunteers from across the city to roll up their sleeves and cook alongside brilliant chefs Ruby and Shannon from Emerge Cookery School.
The result? An incredible 625 freshly cooked meals – with 500 of those delivered to local charities and community groups, including Draper Together, The People’s Army, The Neurodiversity Family Hub, Blackfriars Settlement, Oasis Hub Waterloo, Vauxhall Gardens Community Centre, Lucy Brown House, and St Mungo’s. The remaining meals were enjoyed by the hard-working participants themselves – a well-earned lunch after three hours of chopping, frying, and rolling up spring rolls.
The cooking area buzzed with energy as teams prepped, cooked, and plated under time pressure, turning out everything from banh mi rolls to fresh rainbow salads and golden, crispy spring rolls (all 1,055 of them!). It was a true display of teamwork, not just within each group, but across the entire event, as volunteers, chefs, and organisers worked side by side to make it all happen.
Behind the scenes, a dedicated crew of volunteers set the stage for success, arriving early to prep vegetables, set up cooking stations, organise packaging, and make sure everyone stayed fuelled with teas and coffees throughout the morning. Their efforts made the event run seamlessly and kept spirits high.
The event raised over £6,500 for Plan Zheroes, with every penny going toward our mission to bridge the gap between businesses with surplus food and the charities that need it most.
The event was a powerful reminder of what can happen when communities and companies come together around food – not just to feed people, but to build connections, raise awareness, and take action against waste.
A huge thank you to everyone who took part: the corporate teams, volunteers, chefs, and organisers who made Feed the 500 such a success. Your energy, generosity, and commitment have made a real difference.
Keep an eye out for our event video, coming soon, capturing all the best moments from the day from sizzling spring rolls to smiling faces.
Until then, from all of us at Plan Zheroes: thank you for helping us turn surplus food into shared joy!
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