Whopping fruit and veg donations weigh in at five elephants
Ethical fruit and veg company Growing Communities has donated around 25 tonnes of fresh produce to Hackney Foodbank in the past five years.
That’s the weight of five elephants.
The donations are made possible by subscribers of Growing Communities’ veg-box scheme – members who want to pause their subscription because they’re going away can instead donate to the organisation’s Food Credit system. Since it launched in 2018, the scheme has donated an estimated £54,000 of produce to food banks in Hackney.
Julie Brown, Growing Communities
GC director Julie Brown said: “We started the scheme because we recognised that holiday periods were the most challenging time for food banks and also for the local sustainable farmers we work with, because a drop in orders when people go away means a drop in income for them. The scheme allows us to provide good fresh food to those in our local community who need support while maintaining our orders to farmers.”
Many food banks can’t accept fresh food because they don’t have fridges or space to store it. Growing Communities buys produce that lasts a bit longer, such as potatoes, carrots and apples, rather than perishable items like leafy greens and salad, and delivers it on Thursday mornings to the food bank’s Hoxton warehouse.
Sara Battey, of Hackney Foodbank, added: “Having access to fresh fruit and vegetables makes such a difference and our visitors are always thrilled to receive these donations. Our usual emergency food parcels consist of tinned and packet food so it’s wonderful to be offering something extra. We are so very grateful to Growing Communities and their customers for their kindness.”
Growing Communities is a not-for-profit organization based in Stoke Newington. They support a climate friendly approach, selling seasonal produce and ensuring farmers are fairly paid. They also run a farmers’ market on Saturdays in Stoke Newington selling organic or biodynamic food and drink produced by sustainable farms within easy reach of the city.
Hackney Foodbank is currently providing emergency food parcels for around 650 people per week. That to amounts to more than 14 tonnes of food per month.
To donate, visit: www.hackney.foodbank.org.uk/donate