Footballer and campaigner Marcus Rashford MBE has thrown his support behind our partnership with Hubbub. The partnership will give a £500,000 boost to their Hubbub’s Community Fridge Network helping them add 100 fridges to their network, bringing their total number of community fridges to 250 by the end of 2021.
What are community fridges?
Community fridges are a space for everyone to share fresh food that might otherwise go to waste. The fridges support donations from local food businesses (such as retailers or hospitality), producers, households and gardens. As part of our partnership, we’ll also donate surplus fresh food from our stores.
The 150 community fridges up and down the country (map below) are open to everyone in the communities they serve. Visitors don’t have to be referred or prove their eligibility.
The fridges also help communities co-operate, learning new skills through cooking sessions and workshops on how to grow their own fruit and veg.
One community fridge opened last month at the Co-op Academy in Failsworth, Greater Manchester. Have a look at the launch with our very own Steve Murrells (CEO, Co-op Group) video below.
A further 15 new community fridges are set to open their doors this month, including one in Wythenshawe, South Manchester – home to Marcus Rashford, who has backed the partnership.
‘Support our most vulnerable families’
We work to make sure there's fairer access to food for our most vulnerable communities - it’s built into our business as Co-op Membership distributes millions of pounds to local causes across the UK through our Local Communities Fund.
Last year, we supported Marcus Rashford’s End Child Poverty taskforce and his campaign for free school meals by funding more £3m worth of free school meal vouchers for students at Co-op Academies. We also topped up the Government’s Healthy Start vouchers, adding £1 to every voucher – we’re continuing this now after the recent government uplift, giving families access to more healthy and nutritious food.
Speaking of the partnership Marcus Rashford MBE said:
“The Co-op is a valuable founding member of the Child Food Poverty Taskforce and has consistently stepped up to the plate throughout the Global pandemic to support our most vulnerable families. They have demonstrated how community action can make real sustainable change and just how powerful we can be when we come together. Together with Hubbub, the Co-op has developed a programme that spans far beyond access to food and I’m so excited to see that my own community in Wythenshawe will benefit.”
How Co-op reduces waste overall
We know this is just part of the solution. That’s why we help customers make smarter choices about how they plan, cook and store their food shop - so they can play their part.
We partner with Fareshare to distribute surplus fruit, vegetables, ready meals and chilled items from our depots to community groups helping vulnerable people across the UK. So far, we've given away over 3m meals and counting.
As well as our partnership with Fareshare, we make it easy for local stores to give food directly to groups in their local community through our Food Share initiative.