Festive COOK-Up!

Want to book your Ultimate Feel-Good Festive Social? Look no further…

Our Festive Cook-Up! Fundraiser event promises to be a truly unforgettable day of impact, flavour, and community as we replicate the energy and buzz of our Carnival COOK-Up! but with a lovely festive, feel-good twist! It’s a high-energy, high-purpose event with a festival-like buzz that brings your team together as they work against the clock up cook-up meals for Greater Manchester’s homeless communities. Join an event that is inclusive for everyone and do something where everyone in your team can make a difference.

And you won’t be alone! Previously, over 90 volunteers from socially minded organisations from across Greater Manchester have come to the vibrant Freight Island and cooked up 1,706 nutritious meals for people experiencing homelessness, all in one incredible day.

You will get to support frontline homelessness organisations across all ten boroughs of Greater Manchester — a powerful reminder of what can happen when community, compassion, and cooking come together.

Every meal will be made using surplus ingredients that would have otherwise gone to landfill, thanks to an inspiring partnership with FareShare Greater Manchester. By partnering with us for this event, you’ll also be part of rescuing 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!

Ready to make a difference?

Email kate@crackinggoodfood.org to book a table.

“This is such a fantastic event to be involved in. We fund 600 places in a bed every night in Greater Manchester and this food will make a difference to all of those people. Thank you for your work, Manchester is a great place to be and this is evidence of it””

Andy Burnham, Mayor of Manchester

Ready to make a difference?

Email kate@crackinggoodfood.org to book a table.

Tom Simms, Hitachi

“Events like this remind me why I work for Hitachi, an employer committed to both employee welfare but to the support and betterment of society and deprived communities. Living and working in Manchester, I see firsthand, every day, the scale of our homelessness problem and, knowing I have made such a tangible contribution and having seen the meals being collected; there aren’t many events where you get the full 360 view of who the help goes to and this makes it even more worthwhile”

“It’s not just a lark, it’s been a day of truly feeling like I’m making a difference and knowing my employer supports that, means so much. Ultimately it makes me a happier worker because not only am I valued but I am encouraged to do valuable work for those in society who are most vulnerable”

Would you recommend this event to others?

Definitely. Especially if you care about the communities you serve like we do. It’s not only a great way you can make a tangible difference—it’s also a fantastic way to bring your team together, meet and network with other local companies, get away from the screen, work with your hands, and directly improve people’s lives.

Amy, Barnabus

“This is more than food, it is security. Often those who receive our meals don’t know where their next meal is coming from and have to rely on other people’s kindness. Thank you for providing that security”

Emma Bannister, Hitachi

Not only did I enjoy the cookery, but getting to know colleagues that I might not have worked with before in this setting, was very cool. It’s amazing how quickly you can create a good team when you are enjoying yourselves, and also taking time out from your normal work day.

Also, we often work on much longer-term projects that run for almost a year and involve many individuals. It was really refreshing to see our initial plan, teamwork, and hard work come to fruition all in the same day.

Why are events like this important to your organisation?

For so many reasons. We work with many communities across Greater Manchester, and it’s important for us to give back to the communities we serve. It’s also essential for our staff’s wellbeing. We want to encourage Hitachi team members to take advantage of their annual five paid volunteering days to take part in initiatives like this.

As a company that’s focused on business transformation and helping customers implement and make the most of Microsoft technologies, a lot of our work can be very technical. Some of our colleagues spend a lot of time looking at complex code, so to have some time together doing some completely different is really valuablend have to rely on other people’s kindness. Thank you for providing that security”

Here’s what happened at our last event Carnival Cook-Up!…

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Ready to make a difference?

Email kate@crackinggoodfood.org to book a table.