The Community Fund is all about getting more people to enjoy the benefits of a better food system. Donations allow us to open the farm gates to more than 1,900 people every year, including Bristol-based refugees and asylum seekers; people suffering with mental ill health; and local school children. They are also used to supply organic, nutritious food to people who wouldn’t normally be able to access it. Both through our own programmes and in partnership with frontline food charities.
The fund is generated by generous customers who choose to add a £3 donation to their order, or who choose to donate the value of their box to the fund when they go on holiday. Decisions on how the money should be spent are made by the farm’s Senior Team and are driven by our mission to get more people enjoying the benefits of a better food system.
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Thanks to the fantastic support of our customers, we have raised £2,233 over the past three months! The fund’s focus during these colder months have been sharing produce with people in-need through local partnerships including:
- Coexist Community Kitchen who supply 150 free meals per week to their community
- FoodShare St. Werburghs who operate a family food bank which provides food for approximately 150 people a week
- Caring in Bristol who provide food to more than 70 people at risk of homelessness each week through their Bristol Goods project.
As well as working directly with these charities, we have also been working with Avon Gleaning Network who distribute fresh, organic produce to food clubs throughout East Bristol.
As always, donations have also been used to support our ‘Go Organic’ scheme. During this period 47 households who wouldn’t normally be able to access organic fruit & veg have benefited from a regular delivery through a 50% subsidy supported by the fund. That’s 12 more than last quarter!
‘‘I've loved having this veg box delivery and the element of surprise every time it's on the doorstep! You give me things I'd never have bought myself from the supermarket and I've loved making soups and cooking up new meals with the produce” – Go Organic subsidy customer
A huge thank you to all of our customers who have contributed to the scheme.
