Starbucks has committed £350,000 of funding to be made available to 50 community fridges across the UK in a bid to help local residents learn new food and growing skills.
Last year, alongside support from the Rothschild Foundation, Hubbub piloted food hubs at 14 community fridges and following this, 50 more were awarded food hub funding with support from the Starbucks Foundation and convenience retailer, Co-op.
The additional funding by the coffee company, unveiled today (31 March), is supported by its 5p cup charge which is applied when a customer chooses to use a single-use cup.
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All funds from this initiative have been donated to Hubbbub and will support the development of 50 food projects over the coming months.
This will help to give communities an opportunity to up-skill and learn about sustainable, affordable and healthy living through workshops, cookbooks or ‘how to’ guides.
It will also help fridge visitors discover new ways to increase access to affordable food, help communities to come together through meals and youth activities, as well as increase the amount of edible food grown and shared through community gardens.
“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,” Hubbub head of food, Ellen Rutherford said.
“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.”
Starbucks director of sustainability, Jacqui Wetherley added: “Every day, across the globe, our partners support the communities in our stores and the neighbourhoods we are a part of.
“We’re proud to be supporting the expansion of food hub activities at fifty Community Fridges across the UK, as part of our continued partnership with Hubbub.”
