Dinner for local residents prepared by volunteers

EBFC kitchen

Dinner for local residents prepared by volunteers

EBFC logo

The East Brighton Food Co-op (EBFC) is located on Baker Street, in Brighton, and opened its doors in 2019 during the Covid 19 lockdown. The aim was to address health and education inequalities in the local area, with the power of good food.

It’s a non-for-profit Community Interest Company and its mission is to harness the healing power of nutritious meals and extend it to communities across Brighton and Hove. Staff and volunteers work with the local NHS East and Central Brighton Social Prescribers who cover 75,000 patients as well as the Royal Sussex County hospital discharge teams.

The EBFC has cooked and delivered over 280,000 healthy meals for people in need since March 2020, and believes that everyone deserves access to affordable, fresh and nutritious food. It has been listed in the Natwest Top UK 100 Social Enterprises for 2024, for the third year, and has also been shortlisted for Best UK Pioneering Newcomer.

People on a mission

The East Brighton Food Co-op provides 300 freshly made, nutritious meals to local vulnerable residents every week, including the elderly and others in rehab, ensuring access to healthy meals including fresh fruit and vegetables.

The charity collects and redistributes free fresh surplus food, some of which is used in the Meals on Wheels service, and the rest given to foodbanks, youth clubs and other food organisations who help the most vulnerable, whilst saving good food from going into landfill.

EBFC will be soon hosting cookery classes, empowering people to cook healthy meals at home. Volunteers also help organise social gatherings where people can enjoy meals together, alongside educational events related to nutrition and healthy eating.

The Co-op also offers volunteering, training and employment opportunities. Through helping vulnerable individuals stay healthy, aiding in faster recovery, or enabling quicker hospital discharges, staff and volunteers are confident they play a key role in reducing hospital visits and NHS costs.

Make a difference with your volunteering leave

Want to make a positive social, environmental or economic impact in the local community? University staff on 12-month contracts or longer can have two paid volunteer days per year.

It was a pleasure for a small group of us to help in the EBFC kitchen this month. We worked alongside the chef to prepare vegetables and cook, portion, label, and package meals for deliveries. We also helped with cleaning and doing the washing up. Volunteers can also assist with administrative and various other tasks.

Course Coordinator, Kit Eves, said: “It was very rewarding to use my volunteering allowance to spend a day in the EBFC kitchen with a colleague. We helped with preparing, cooking and packaging meals for vulnerable local people. Meals included a dahl recipe, pasta, and potato mash with sausages and vegetables.

“I enjoyed helping with those usually dull tasks you do at home also, like washing up, but this time for a good cause and with others – and I got to see the biggest box of marrows donated to the kitchen by a local!”

Janet Cronin, EBFC Joint CEO, said: “Big thanks to the University of Sussex for allowing staff to volunteer with us. The help of the local community is always needed and much appreciated. If you would like to volunteer, please get in touch.”

Help support a special cause

One person can make a difference! Meet new people, develop new skills and help your local community today.

If you would like to volunteer or make a food or financial donation, please email Janet directly at Janet@eastbrightonfoodcoop.uk.