Environmental charity Hubbub is broadening the impact of the Community Fridge Network, through food hub funding which will help local residents to learn new food and growing skills and connect with their neighbours.
Community fridges are social spaces where anyone can share surplus food, including surplus food from supermarkets, local food businesses, producers, households and gardens. They not only reduce food waste but empower communities to come together and help one another.
During 2022, with support from the Rothschild Foundation, Hubbub piloted food hubs at 14 community fridge locations. Participants reported adopting a more varied diet, discovering new recipes and feeling more connected to their local community.
Following the pilot, 50 more community fridges were awarded food hub funding, with support from Co-op and the Starbucks Foundation. The projects will be developed over the coming months on the following themes:
Skills – To give the community an opportunity to up-skill and learn about sustainable, affordable, and heathy living through workshops, events, cookbooks, or how-to-guides.
Affordable food – To help fridge visitors discover new ways to increase access to local and affordable food through food cooperatives, food box schemes or food markets.
Community Connection – To provide opportunity for communities to come together around shared food through community meals, coffee and chats, youth activities, and recipe shares.
Growing – To support community growing and increase the amount of edible food grown and shared locally through community gardens, greening projects and seed or plant sharing.
Ellen Rutherford, Head of Food at Hubbub said:
“We’ve always believed that a community fridge is more than just a fridge and the new food hub funding shows how they are evolving. From the trial last year, it’s clear there’s an appetite from people to know more about their food and how to get the most out of it. The generous ongoing support of Starbucks and Co-op will give visitors the opportunity to do just that, with the added bonus of saving money and doing their bit for the environment.”
For more information about the Community Fridge Network and the new food hub funding, visit: https://www.hubbub.org.uk/the-community-fridge