Our COVID-19 Emergency Food Response

Cracking Good Food Coronavirus Appeal

We are facing the greatest public health and economic emergency in living memory.
Cracking Good Food has launched a fundraising appeal, to support vulnerable communities
impacted by the global coronavirus crisis.

Your donation will directly support our nonprofit work in delivering free cooked meals to
people struggling with poverty, redundancy and/or self-isolation.

We cannot do this work without your support. Together we can get through this.
Thank you for your help.

PLEASE DONATE

Our response to the Coronavirus

Meals Cooked

Volunteer Hours

Geographical Areas

Covid lockdown necessitated us to transform our model overnight. From cooking ‘with’ communities, we instantly began to cook ‘for’ them instead. Meals were required urgently for the elderly, families in food poverty, those suffering from mental or physical health conditions, those experiencing homelessness, people in emergency accommodation with no cooking facilities, asylum seeks, refugees, those undertaking cancer treatment, families
affected by holiday hunger, disabled veterans, female rough sleepers and women and children fleeing abuse.

We were offered the commercial kitchen at the University of Manchester’s Halls of Residence, who also provided us with their re-fridgerated van and drivers. This enabled us to collect and utilise more surplus food from Fareshare Greater Manchester to cook with. It also meant that we could up our output 10 fold.

With safe distancing, 2 of our cooks safely headed up a team of 6 very willing and wonderful volunteers. They prepped food, helped cook, portioned out, labelled up and packed hundreds of nutritious meals a day, ready for distribution to 30 communities across Manchester; up to 3,000 meals a week. A fleet of volunteers collected and drove them to individuals and communities – they were our lifeline.

We also worked alongside Manchester City Council’s Covid19 emergency response to individuals isolating or being shielded.

When lockdown measures are lifted however, the need for food will not go away. Many have lost their jobs and are reliant on Universal Credit which takes 5 weeks to kick in. Rents will have to be repaid and debts will mushroom. When emergency accommodation is removed, those temporarily housed will have to return to rough sleeping. Homelessness and poverty will escalate.

We have gratefully received funding from national & local organisations and have been overwhelmed by the generosity of spirit from the public through our Emergency Appeal. We now need to develop and implement new strategies to address the ever changing needs of our communities where poverty is now indelibly ingrained. Thank you all.

Join us by Volunteering!

Thank you. Together we can do this. Poverty is the pandemic that should never have been ideologically allowed to get to this level.

We campaign against food waste and the many causes of climate change. We fight for social justice, a Living Wage and good food for all, sourced through the local economy.

Everyone deserves good food and it’s affordable IF you know WHAT to cook and HOW.

COOKERY SCHOOL

Breadmaking, Cantonese, Pasta, Japanese, Foraging and so much more! Bookings support core running costs enabling us to work in communities.

HOSTELS

We deliver FREE 10 week cooking programmes at 4 Manchester Homeless Prevention Hostels.

EDUCATION

Upskilling School Cooks, teachers, parents, children and students to embrace a good food culture!

FORAGING

Full or half day wild food forages across Manchester, Cheshire and Yorkshire.

CAMPAIGNING

Fighting against food, fuel poverty and homelessness by promoting the Living Wage and fair working conditions.

COOKBANK & TRAINING

Specific training to set up Community Cooking Clubs that embrace positive environmental change.

HOUSING ASSOCIATIONS

Teaching communities how to cook healthy, affordable food also brings neighbours together socially.

GREATER MANCHESTER POVERTY ACTION

Our joint mission is to eradicate food poverty in Greater Manchester.

TEAMBUILDING & PARTIES

Anytime, anywhere! Food brings people together, we would love to cook with you.

SUSTAINABILITY

Sustainability is a key element of our working practices.

HEALTHY REWARDS