1098. Yasmin Kaduji
Yasmin Kaduji, from Banbury, is the founder and driving force of a community fridge project which takes unwanted food from local supermarkets and distributes it to the community.
It has the dual-purpose of combating food waste and promoting free, healthy food. The community fridge, based at the local Mosque, is managed by a small team of volunteers, coordinated by Yasmin, and it has now been accessed by thousands of people since its inception. The project is supported by Sanctuary Housing and Hello Fresh and the food for the fridge is sourced by donations from a range of local supermarkets including Marks and Spencer, Tesco and Waitrose. Yasmin also coordinates a number of inter-faith events at the Mosque, including holiday play schemes, a weekly community lunch and she is currently setting up a mother and baby group.
In a personal letter to Yasmin, Prime Minister Theresa May said:
“Your creation of the community fridge in Banbury shows tremendous innovation and is testament to your dedication to the local community. You should be very proud of your commitment to grow this project into something which positively benefits so many people. I wish you well as you continue to further your work.”
Victoria Prentis, MP for Banbury, said:
“I was thrilled to hear that Yasmin’s hard work for the local community has been recognised with a Points of Light Award. She has worked on a range of projects in Banbury, including the Community Fridge which opened last year and is an extremely worthwhile initiative. I am very grateful for her hard work and look forward to welcoming her to Westminster at some point soon to celebrate her achievement.”
Yasmin said:
“I would like to express my most sincere gratitude for this award. I founded the ‘Banbury Community Fridge’ after being inspired by Islam’s teachings to take care of our neighbours. It has been a challenging project, but thanks to the support of my friends, family, local supermarkets, kind strangers and Banbury Madni Masjid for providing a space for this service, the ‘Banbury Community Fridge’ is reducing food waste, supporting families and reintroducing a sense of community. “He who eats to satisfaction while his neighbour is hungry is not a believer” – Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon them).”
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