Many local affordable food provision services are run by third sector organisations such as Community Interest Companies, Charities and Community Groups. They are frequently set up as a direct response to community need and are often excellent examples of ‘the community working for the benefit of the community.’
Many of these organisations find that funding is relatively straightforward to attract when they set up. Every funder is happy, it seems, to support something new and exciting. However, those successful groups who grow organically in response to demand, and whose services are well-used over the longer term, naturally need to meet increasing core costs.
This is where things become challenging; there are relatively few funders who will address revenue requirements and still fewer who include core costs. Inevitably therefore, those few funders who do both are subject to huge levels of demand and there is much competition. Hence, well-used and well-run services with excellent governance risk being unable to continue due to a lack of core funding.
Sustainability and income generation are the key here; all organisations supplying surplus food into communities should look at their long-term sustainability. Baobab Bach has a basic product, the £5 surplus affordable food bag. Open to all. Saves food from landfill. Supplements the family budget. This will always be a loss leader, so it is being supported by development of other income generating product lines. This includes growing our own fruit and vegetables, producing frozen ready meals for individuals in the community who need or want that service, teaching low-cost cooking and basic nutrition, catering for events and much more.
The organisation has had to develop as sustainably as possible. The last thing Baobab Bach wants is to be pressing funders for money to buy food every week, which is unsustainable and totally defeats the object of reducing food waste and landfill. Buying food with grant funds at full cost to sell at low cost and probably waste quite a bit on the way? Definitely not. Sustainability is King.
There are many factors that affect organisations who are supporting communities through distributing surplus foods, providing community meals, and sharing cooking and nutrition advice. Part of our offering is to teach basic cooking skills, promote healthy eating and good nutrition at as low cost as possible. We encourage people to socialise over meals – something human beings have always done, which binds us together and develops community; but it would be so refreshing to drive to work or the shops without passing a billboard displaying some form of fast food full of sugar, salt, fat, and heaven knows what else! TV is also full of such advertising, so people still order pizza that costs more than two large bags of food from our pantry, which would keep them going for several days rather than several minutes. It would be such an enormous benefit to so many people, to their health and their budget, if there was some pragmatic regulation of food advertising.
For our part, we intend to try as hard as we can to stay around and support all the amazing, incredible people who use our service and have supported us for the past 5 years. We appreciate the partnerships, the donations, the opportunities that we have had and are determined to continue to support our communities to support themselves.
Image Credit: Future