We’re privileged to be involved in a wonderfully inspiring community endeavour that not only reflects the progressive ethos of our wonderful home city, but the culture from which its founder, Melanie Vaxevanakis, incepted its warm expression of shared humanity.
What sets the MAZI (pronounced ‘mah-zee’) project apart is its view of food as a galvaniser for the collective human spirit. ‘Mazi’, like Melanie, is Greek, meaning ‘together’. In the realm of food, ‘mazi’ is a stimulating combination of flavourful dishes, perfect for sharing.
It’s in this spirit that the MAZI project, in conjunction with Bristol’s independent food sector and other charitable partners, provides holistic sustenance as fresh, locally sourced, and sustainable food, along with food education and food-centric employment opportunities to marginalised 16–25-year-olds. These are vulnerable young people whose disadvantaged and often traumatic backgrounds can all too often define their futures.
Melanie launched the MAZI project in response to the ‘mean’ food parcels provided instead of free school meal vouchers to families following Marcus Rashford’s intervention during the pandemic Possessor of an extraordinary social conscience, Melanie seeks to empower other young people to transform the way they feel about themselves and the planet through the shared human experience of good quality, sustainable food: in this way, the MAZI project reflects a perfect symbiosis for people and planet, nurturing malnourished young lives and minds back to confident health for a future that depends on them.
Latcham is proud to support the MAZI project as our partner charity for 2024, supplying sustainable print, warehousing, and other relevant in-house services along with donations towards the community kitchen and from our founder’s charitable trust. Over the year we’re also planning to engage our colleagues with a variety of foodie-themed and truly green-centric fund-raising activities, including the opportunity to donate company-matched paid leave.
Watch this space…😊
Discover more about Melanie and The Mazi Project by visiting themaziproject.com