Charity reels in £24k for foodbank kitchen

INSIDE the new Oldham Foodbank headquarters, in the former Three Crowns pub with Andrew Barr, Foodbank manager

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A STAGGERING £23,000 has been raised in 56 days to help Oldham Foodbank create a community kitchen at their new home.

In December, the charity set out to raise £13,850 to fund the community kitchen and help to stop surplus food ending up in the waste bin and instead use it to provide nutritious meals for people in Oldham.

Community support was so great that the appeal reached its original target within a month, which meant the crowdfunding project would definitely be given the go-ahead at the charity's new home within the former Three Crowns pub in Manchester Street.

A second stretch-funding target of £21,000 was then reached within one day, and supporters continued to back the project in the remaining days of the appeal before it reached its conclusion and a total amount of £23,574 on Wednesday.

The funding will create a kitchen which can prepare fresh hot meals using surplus food which otherwise would have been thrown away by supermarkets or producers.

It will include facilities for the cooking and preserving of food, a rooftop beehive and equipment to enable growing groups in Oldham to process the food they produce.

Once completed, food produced in the kitchen would be served on a "pay as you feel" system and would offer a place where people could come together to meet, share and eat.

The kitchen will also be open for use by community groups in Oldham to help inspire people to grow their own food and learn how to create healthy meals and preserve any goods they produce.

A total of 132 supporters backed the appeal and donations were collected during fundraising events in the town centre.

The charity, which moved from its Clegg Street base on January 31, is hoping the kitchen will be able to extend the services it can offer and enable increased working with partners at the Oldham Food Network.

Andrew Barr, Oldham Foodbank manager, said: "We'd like to say a very big thank you to everyone who has pledged support, shared the campaign, volunteered or donated during our fundraising events.

"We are overwhelmed by the actions from our community of backers and can't wait to move this to action for you all."