Carnival COOK-Up

Ready to make a difference?

Email Kate to book a table today: kate@crackinggoodfood.org

Social Value at Its Tastiest: Over 1,500 Meals Cooked in a Single Day for Greater Manchester’s Homeless Community

On 13th May, we delivered a truly unforgettable day of impact, flavour, and community at Carnival COOK-Up — our high-energy, high-purpose event that brought together 90 volunteers from socially minded organisations across Greater Manchester. Together, at the vibrant Freight Island, we cooked up 1,500+ nutritious meals for people experiencing homelessness, all in one incredible day.

The event directly supported 13 frontline homelessness organisations across all ten boroughs of Greater Manchester — a powerful reminder of what can happen when community, compassion, and cooking collide.

Every meal was made using surplus ingredients that would have otherwise gone to waste, thanks to an inspiring partnership with FareShare Greater Manchester. In total, the event rescued half a tonne of perfectly good food, helping to spotlight the staggering levels of edible food waste in the UK.

It truly is social value at its tastiest!

Festive COOK-Up!

Let’s Cook Up Some Festive Good: 2,000 Meals for Greater Manchester’s Homeless – in One Day!

  • When: 8th December
  • Where: Freight Island
  • How: Sponsor a table of 15, come on your own or book as many as you’d like!

Why join?

– FREE access and use to our CSR Figures & Event Statistics just by attending

– Accessible-for-all events, there are no barriers to this event – everyone can cook!

– Bring your team closer together or get to know your wider team at our Cracking Cooking Event!

– Boost morale around the the busy festive period and reward your team’s hard work

Use our statistics for your sustainability, environmental and corporate responsibility goals. Use our figures as your own when applying for tender bids. CSR can make up 25% of a bid so increase your chances of securing that project whilst showing you care by supporting a worthwhile cause.

Who Benefits?

Homelessness affects over 7,000 people in Manchester and accessing nutritious food can be extremely difficult for individuals and families. At the same time, 4 million tonnes of food goes to waste every single year. With your help we can help to tackle both of these issues at once and provide delicious meals to those in need and save perfectly good ingredients from being wasted!

By joining us, you will be supporting all of these homeless organisations throughout Greater Manchester:

  • Urban Outreach – Bolton
  • Organic Soul – Bury
  • Chesham Fold TRA – Bury
  • Barnabus – Manchester
  • Lifeshare – Manchester
  • Homeless Network Help4All – Rochdale
  • Petrus, Oldham – Oldham
  • Emmaus Salford – Salford
  • The Wellspring – Stockport
  • The Station Hotel – Tameside
  • ABEN – Trafford
  • The Brick – Wigan
  • Booth Centre – Manchester

Proudly supported by and supporting:

  • Barnabus Logo
  • Help cook 1500+ meals for the homeless communities across Greater Manchester
  • Save food that would have gone to waste
  • Full day teambuilding event
  • Unique opportunity to network with like-minded businesses

Ready to make a difference?

Email Kate to book a table today: kate@crackinggoodfood.org

  • Barnabus Logo

Kitchen Kit Call Out Campaign

Your team are invited to bring along a piece of preloved clean, working kitchen kit to contribute towards our award winning Kitchen Kit Redistribution campaign to support people experiencing financial hardship and often living in crisis. Social and environmental impact in 2.5 years, across 6 events.

Cracking Good Food impact statistics
Spirit of Manchester 2024 Winner Logo
KKCO supporting organisations Logos

2024 Winner: Community and Business Collaboration Award Cracking Good Food & Microsoft NW Social Impact team.