Community crisis veg boxes
Together with our home pub the Plough, we have mobilised a free delivery service for our community during the current crisis. We are providing a free fruit+veg box as well as home-cooked meals to folks who are vulnerable, self-isolating or struggling financially due to the lockdown.
We’ve been receiving requests through our online form as well as referrals from the National Food Service Helpline, Aid Box Community, Project Mama and various other organisations representing vulnerable people in the city. There is no judgment of ‘need’, we aim to get a box to anyone who asks for one.
We’ve been doing delivery runs twice a week for 9 weeks now and have so far delivered over 4,200 fruit+veg boxes and over 1,600 cooked meals.
As the demand increases, we have now been joined by the Lion, Chelsea, Pipe and Slippers and Star & Garter pubs as packing venues, each bringing their own community of volunteers and each adding around 100 boxes per day to our capacity.
This is all thanks to generous donations received through our Fundsurfer page, a £5000 grant from the Quartet Foundation’s Coronavirus Response Fund, plus an ever-growing and very dedicated army of volunteer coordinators, packers and delivery drivers as well as various donations of food, space and equipment*. The club has agreed to donate up to £1000 to help keep those boxes coming.
We are not asking for payment for the food but will take donations from those who want to give. All info on how to order, donate or volunteer is on our Fundsurfer page. Please share and donate if you can:
www.fundsurfer.com/crowdfund/community-care-package
As each delivery run costs around £1250 and demand is growing, we need to keep the donations rolling in so we can continue providing this essential service for our community over the coming weeks.
£5 will cover the cost of a box, £10 will also pay for a box for somebody else. Everyone involved is donating their time so all donations go to buying produce. We are coordinating and sharing with various organisations, such as Bristol Outreach Services for the Homeless (BOSH), FoodCycle, Helping Homeless Believe, BASE cafe, Wild Goose and Coexist Community Kitchen, to make sure that no surplus food is wasted and that food reaches those most in need.
*Thanks also to: All Hallows Hall, who have given us free use of their hall as a packing centre; the Volunteer Tavern who have let us use their kitchen while the Plough’s is being refurbished; Essential Wholefoods who have donated food; Hobbs House bakery who are donating bread; Nibly Leaves who have donated salad; a lab at UWE who are supplying us with a food-safe sterilisation solution; Linner, Izzy and Peg who have been at their sewing machines frantically sewing double-layer cotton masks so that we can do our best to prevent the spread of infection; Three Wise Monkeys, Hugos, Pawsons and Ashton Fruit Shop who are providing us with crates for the veg boxes..
If you want more information on what else is being done around Bristol, the Bristol Cable is collating an online database of organisations who are providing food or other support during the crisis, as well as volunteering and support groups.
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This is brilliant well done.
Just to say though – a comment on your web design. On my phone size (iPhone 6s) it’s really hard to read the text in red. And I don’t have problems with my vision! I love the look but if people can’t read it…..
Hi Jo, we’re trying to get someone to work on our web development atm cos there’s a few little problems like this! Thanks for flagging it.
Just spoke to a couple of people who would like to volunteer, how do they go about it?
Please fill in this form to offer to volunteer:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdSbxLpwQ0mjxUsXEoEd-E-FLDVxjBtYynhYLlhhULm4z-7cg/viewform
All info on the project is on the crowdfunder at: https://www.fundsurfer.com/crowdfund/community-care-package
Thanks!
Thank you for me box of veg last Tuesday. How do I place another order please?
Hi Liz, as we can’t store personal information you need to fill in this form every time you want a new box: https://forms.gle/sSfbzHNp6VFDMUs46. Or you can call Bristol Food Service Helpline on 0117 3250450 and request a “Plough Veg Box”. Glad you liked the box!
Thank you all for my lovely box of food realy appresated your all wonderfull thank you
Hi, i had one of these boxes in my front garden when I got home from work yesterday. A bit worries someone may be missing theirs. Can someone contact me about this please. Thank you
Hi Sarah, thanks so much for flagging this! I’ll email you so we can try to find out who’s it was. If you don’t see an email, please check your junk folder for an email from webgimp@eastoncowfolk.org.uk
Hello I ordered a veg box on friday morning will i recieve one on Tuesday?
Hi, yes you should get it on Tuesday. I’ll double check and get back to you if there are any problems.
Hi can you tell me how this works please I live in Cadbury heath Bristol and would like to apply
Hi Terri, to apply for a box please fill in the form by clicking on the link above (https://forms.gle/sSfbzHNp6VFDMUs46). If you’re not online or can’t get anyone to order one online for you, you can call Bristol Food Service Helpline on 0117 3250450 and request a “Plough Veg Box”.
Deliveries are on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. Please order by the day before delivery. You need to request a box each time you want one, as we are unable to hold on to personal data.
The boxes are free for anyone who needs one. However, if you’d like to make a donation you can do so here: http://www.fundsurfer.com/crowdfund/community-care-package. £5 will cover the cost of the produce, £10 will also pay for a box for somebody else. Everyone involved is donating their time so all donations go to buying produce.
Email pluffinn@gmail.com with suggestions or if you need extra help.
As you are based in Easton do you also deliver to St George ? I’d like to share your details if possible
Hi, yes we do. We are currently delivering Bristol-wide. Please, do share!