Sponsor a veg box for Bristol’s FOOD Clubs!

The Community Farm have teamed up with FareShare South West and Bristol’s FOOD Clubs to allow you or your organisation to share an organic veg box with families in the city who are at risk of food poverty. The idea was seeded at the Eating and Buying Better Going for Gold Business Breakfast.

FOOD Clubs (Food On Our Doorsteps) are a joint project with Family Action, FareShare South West, Feeding Bristol and Bristol City Council Early Years. They are an initiative which started in Manchester and are now growing in Bristol with four clubs so far and an aim for 16 to be opened by the end of 2020. The clubs are located in Children’s Centres, Nursery Schools and community spaces, where they can provide food for families on low incomes with young children. FOOD Clubs provide long term help for families and a positive ‘club’ model that offers support and additional help with cooking and budgeting with support from Family Services and Learning Communities.

Each FOOD Club serves up to 40 families a week. Families pay £1 to sign up as members and then £3.50 for a large bag of food from FareShare South West which is composed of ingredients rather than ready-meals – meat, dairy, fresh fruit and vegetables and store cupboard ingredients. FareShare South West redistribute food that has not even reached the supermarket shelves – it is straight from manufacturers and is all in-date. The addition of fresh organic veg to this mix will allow families who wouldn’t normally be able to access organically-grown produce, the opportunity to benefit from healthy, locally-grown produce. This veg box scheme directly supports a network of local growers using climate and wildlife-friendly farming practices, with short supply chains meaning less lorries on our roads.

The idea for the Shared Veg Box came out of a Going for Gold business breakfast, hosted by Bristol Green Capital Partnership. Adam Parsons from APG Architecture (one of the speakers at the event) asked the question, “Wouldn’t it be good if when you ordered a veg box, you could pay for one for a food community group or food charity to have one at the same time? A bit like paying forward a coffee”.

Many of the attendees at the meeting agreed and the scheme has now been set up! So, how do you get involved?

1. Go to The Community Farm website and click on register.
2. Complete the ‘Your Details’ section, and in the Address box add: FareShare South West, Unit 4, Little Ann Street, St Judes, Bristol BS2 9EB (you will be asked for your Billing address details on a separate page)
3. Choose your Veg Box. Prices range from £10.45–£22.45, with one-off or regular delivery.
4. That’s it! Your Veg Box will automatically be delivered to FareShare South West and from there it will go on to a Bristol FOOD Club. But if you have any queries with your order, contact Sally at box@thecommunityfarm.co.uk

If you sponsor a box, don’t forget to log this under “Tell us about your other Food Equality actions”, either as an action as an individual or an organisation.

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The Community Farm is a social enterprise in the Chew Valley, established by volunteers in 2011 and owned by its 500 members. Environmental sustainability, community engagement and nature-friendly farming are at the heart of the enterprise. The Farm supplies local, seasonal and 100% organic produce from its own fields and as a hub for other organic producers. The Farm encourages everyone to come and visit, to see where your food comes from. There is a year-round programme of events and volunteering.

FOOD Clubs also need volunteers to help run the clubs with regular slots helping to unpack deliveries or operate the Clubs across the city. For more information about FOOD Clubs please contact: pete.godden@family-action.org.uk