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It’s Joy of Giving month at Fortnum’s - when we encourage all our people to give their time to help out. Yesterday morning I joined Alex, Amy and Georgia from the team here in Piccadilly to sort and distribute surplus food at The Felix Project’s Deptford Depot in south east London.   Seeing Felix in action for the first time, the scale of our food waste problem is breathtaking. According to the founder of Felix the wonderful Justin Byam-Shaw “our food industry generates 223,000 tonnes of edible food surplus each year - but only 7% of this reaches the people who need it.” A lot of this surplus is unnecessary. We all know that perfectly good fruit and veg is rejected by our supermarkets (and to be fair, by their customers) all the time for being wonky or marked or inconsistently sized, but until you actually see what that rejection means in pallet-loads, it’s easy to assume that the system of food production and distribution in the U.K. is highly efficient. Well it isn’t. And we saw thousands of examples in just one shift yesterday.   The opportunity to help put that good quality food into the hands of those who really need it - individuals, social kitchens, schools and hostels, the elderly - seemed a chance too good to miss. We sifted through vast quantities of fresh produce, sorting the good from the bad (nearly all perfectly good) and grocery products by Use By and Best Before dates, so that they could be delivered in green Felix vans as a high priority. We worked hard - I’m not sure Georgia, Amy and Alex need to see another potato for a while, and I feel the same.   In terms of Fortnum’s contribution, we are hoping that by the end of September, our people will have completed 300 hours’ worth of volunteering time for 3 fantastic organisations: The Felix Project; Centrepoint UK (combatting youth homelessness) and The London Wildlife Trust. Not bad for a relatively small business, and I know alot of fun has been had and new friendships forged along the way.   If you have given up your time this month to help others, 👊 good on you.   #teamFortnums #volunteering #thefelixproject #sustainability #foodwaste #joyofgiving

Here’s a short reel on the 6 Solutions to Food Insecurity, from the Journal of Nonprofit Innovation. Check out our last post on the full article. #foodinsecurity #urbanfarming #femalefarmers #permaculture #betterpolicies

Wild Oats Market in Williamstown, Massachusetts, is more than just a grocery store—it’s a vibrant community hub where fresh flavors meet friendly faces. Here’s why you’ll love Wild Oats: 1.     Locally Grown Goodness: Their shelves burst with locally sourced produce, from crisp apples to leafy greens. When you taste their offerings, you’ll experience the difference that community support makes. 2.     Bulk Aisle Bliss: Say goodbye to excess packaging! Explore their bulk aisle, where you’ll find organic grains, nuts, and spices. It’s both eco-friendly and budget-friendly. 3.     Quick Bites, Big Smiles: On busy days when cooking feels like a marathon, grab a ready-to-eat meal from their cooler. Convenience meets deliciousness! 4.     Every Penny Counts: When you shop at Wild Oats, you’re not just buying groceries—you’re supporting local nonprofits. The Every Penny Counts program donates to community causes. 5.     Co-op Basics: Healthy choices shouldn’t break the bank. Check out their Co op Basics section for affordable essentials. Join Wild Oats … Where: 320 Main St, Williamstown, MA 01267 Call Us: (413) 458-8060 Open Daily: 8:00 AM - 8:00 PM 🛒🌱🌟 #shoplocal #communitylove #intheberkshires

In Michigan, nearly 12% of people face food insecurity, and many of our community members face barriers to accessing nutritious food. Food insecurity has soared over the past few years, making it more important than ever to create a future where our food system is equitable, sustainable, and equipped to meet southeast Michigan’s needs. At our foundation, we support a number of nonprofit organizations, including Fair Food Network, Gleaners Community Food Bank of Southeastern Michigan, Forgotten Harvest, Capuchin Soup Kitchen, and Make Food Not Waste, who are working to increase food access, destigmatized food insecurity, and provide education and resources so that people throughout our region can thrive. Read about our community collaboration to strengthen regional food security: https://lnkd.in/gZ-xUHUM

Investing locally

Community Giving Week is all about giving back to Camp and School—but we would be remiss not to extend that spirit of giving back to the place we call home! To celebrate our Adirondack community, we wanted to recognize one of our great nonprofit partners here in the region, AdkAction. Here are some pollinator facts they shared with us recently: 🦋 Three-fourths of the world’s flowering plants and about 35 percent of the world’s food crops depend on animal pollinators to reproduce. That’s one out of every three bites of food you eat! 🐝 Threats including habitat loss and fragmentation, pesticide use, climate change, and disease are causing a decline in global and local pollinator populations. 🐞 Pollinators that can’t find the right quantity or quality of food (nectar and pollen from blooming plants within flight range) don’t survive. Right now, there simply aren’t enough pollinator friendly plantings to support pollinators. Learn more about AdkAction’s work in this recent conversation between our Garden Manager Kim Smart and Hannah Grall, AdkAction Project Coordinator - visit https://lnkd.in/ej96TWVK to watch the full interview. And if you haven’t made your gift yet, donate today at https://lnkd.in/e5-rHD2S!

🌱👩🌾 Young Cooks Dig Into Community Garden Project! 🍅🥕 Exciting things are happening at The Kind Kitchen Group! Our Young Cooks have rolled up their sleeves and gotten their hands dirty (quite literally!) as they begin building planter beds for our community garden project. This initiative is about more than just growing fresh produce - it's about cultivating a sense of ownership, responsibility, and pride in our young people. By involving them in every step of the process, from building the beds to planting the seeds to harvesting the vegetables, we're helping them develop valuable life skills and a deeper connection to their food and community. As they assembled the beds, our Young Cooks demonstrated incredible teamwork, problem-solving, and perseverance. It was inspiring to see them encourage and support one another, share ideas, and work collaboratively towards a common goal. This community garden project is a perfect example of the hands-on, experiential learning we believe in at The Kind Kitchen Group. By engaging our students in real-world projects with tangible outcomes, we're helping them build confidence, resilience, and a lifelong love of learning. We can't wait to see how this garden grows and its positive impact on our students and community. Stay tuned for updates as our Young Cooks continue to nurture this project from seed to harvest! If you'd like to support initiatives like this that empower youth and strengthen community bonds, please consider donating https://lnkd.in/dRe_YDu8 Every contribution helps us plant the seeds of change! #CommunityGarden #YouthEmpowerment #ExperientialLearning #GrowingTogether #SustainableFuture #CulinaryStorytelling #FoodMemories #YouthEmpowerment #VirtualLearning #GratefulForOurCommunity #Durham #Food #FoodAccess #resilience #WhereFoodMeetsPurpose #KindKitchenGroup #CulinaryImpact #SupportYouth #YoungCooksSociety #ChefSicilyJohnson #CulinaryArts #SocialImpact #YouthEmpowerment #CommunityBuilding #CulinaryArts #YouthEmpowerment #CommunityBuilding #KindKitchenGroup #ChefMelanieWilkerson

Though I rarely post on Linkedin, I am here regularly, absorbing the insights of those I admire. I post now because The Ag Community in Vermont needs more from the companies, individuals, and associations who work here or have visited, benefitted, or simply appreciate Vermont values. We need folks to come to the aid of damaged Vermont’s farms. The catastrophic storms of 2023 and 'wrong' weather throughout the winter into spring this year caused and continues to cause more than $45 million in losses to Vermont family farms. The devastation done to these farms is largely invisible - crops lost, infrastructure damaged or destroyed, and seasons of set-backs.  With ongoing, all-volunteer help from partners and supporters listed below, we're hoping to raise as much cash as we can to help offset the profound losses Vermont farmers have experienced. Learn more, share this post, AND make a donation to the farmers in the county you care about most at www.digdeepvt.com. Thank you, Vermont Community Fund, NOFA, and The State of Vermont for assistance provided to date. But it is simply not enough to ensure feed, crops to sell, infrastructure repair, and a viable future. Please. And thank you for those who are championing DIGDEEPVT now: @Ski Vermont/Vermont Ski Areas Association @Association of Vermont Credit Unions @Farm Credit East, ACA @Farrell Distributing @Driven Studio | Certified B Corporation® Studio | Certified B Corporation® @Image Relay | Certified B Corporation® @Unified Strategies Public Relations Network @Givio

HOW CAN RESIDENTS SUPPORT THE LOCAL FOOD SYSTEM? Choose stores and restaurants that source food localy and support workers. Donate excess edible food at your local pantry or food bank (BFTK Food Bank and Get involved with community gardens and urban agriculture. Ask for locallysourced seafood at markets and restaurants and try the BFTK Local varieties of seafood. Contact a gleaning group to donate any excess produce grown at home. Buy produce that is in season. Visit and shop at ocal Certified Farmers’ Markets and the Fishermen’s Market. Volunteer with a small scale farm, food bank, gleaning group, or local pantry. Buy “ugy” produce, which is aesthetically unappealing but just as nutritious. Sign up for Community Supported Agriculture to receive a share of fresh produce from a local farm. Limit your use of plastic (straws, silverware, bags, etc.) and styrofoam (takeout containers, dinnerware). Track where and how food is wasted at home and reduce portion sizes. Feeding BFTK growing community).

Did you know that America's oldest turkey farm resides in Lancaster County? Esbenshade Turkey Farm near Paradise has been in operation since 1858. They provide a story of why every bit of farmland that we preserve is important – this farm has employed and fed 7 generations of the Esbenshade family. Places2040 calls on us to “preserve the farmer as well as the farm” – which can mean both listening to farmer’s needs as they provide a wider variety of services and making sure that we grow within our growth boundaries. If we work together to support these policies, our farmers can prosper for generations to come. https://lnkd.in/eVVyV_tE