Arena charity appeal seeking preloved kitchen kit and utensils
A charity appeal with a difference is underway in Bolton with people being asked to donate preloved kitchen kit and utensils.
It is being hosted by the Bolton Arena Community Sports Village, where a collection hub has been set up in aid of the appeal by Manchester-based charity, Cracking Good Food, to help and encourage more people in need to cook from scratch.
All of the equipment collected will be cleaned, safety checked and redistributed to organisations and individuals in many of Greater Manchester’s most financially deprived and sidelined communities.
The appeal, called Kitchen Kit Callout, will culminate in a collection day on Wednesday, 16 July, when Cracking Good Food will bring together volunteers from socially-minded companies across the region to help redistribute the kit and utensils to community organisations pre-registered to attend.
“Many people, especially those starting out in a new home following a period of crisis, struggle to cook from scratch as they simply don’t have the kitchen items they need,” says Tracey Torley, CEO Cracking Good Food.
“At the same time, many of us have perfectly good but unused kitchen items sitting in our cupboards taking up space.
“Anyone who is a registered organisation with us is welcome to attend. It’s one of the many events and community projects we are doing to support communities at a time when the level of need, support and despair continues to grow.
“But this isn’t just about kitchen equipment and utensils, it’s about community. The Kitchen Kit Callout offers volunteers an opportunity to do something with real purpose, work together, network with like-minded individuals, and see the tangible impact of their efforts, all in just a few hours away from their desks.”
The Bolton appeal is the seventh event of its kind, with the others held in Manchester, Stockport and Trafford seeing the scale of donations growing bigger and better each time.
Over the project’s three-year lifetime, 9.5 tonnes of kitchen kit have been recycled and redistributed, 196 organisations have received equipment, saving 112 tonnes of carbon emissions, and an estimated 23,000-plus people have been reached.
Stuart Kay, the Arena’s Head of Sport and Communities, says: “We’ve set up a collection hub in our reception and members have already been dropping kit off. But this is open to anyone who thinks they have utensils and equipment good enough for more use to come along and contribute.
“We’re extremely proud of our community-minded approach and we’re always pleased to be working with like-minded charities and organisations.”
Spaces are still available for organisations to register to collect kitchen kit on the day and the Cracking Good Food says it is still in desperate need of volunteers on Tuesday 15 July and/or Wednesday 16.
To register, visit here or email @ellie@crackinggoodfood.org for more information.
For press release enquiries contact Nigel Wareing, Cornerstone Design & Marketing (07834 835 922), or Kate Ainsworth, Business Growth & Marketing Executive: kate@crackinggoodfood.org (07412 324 332).
About Cracking Good Food:
Cracking Good Food launched in 2010, with the aim of encouraging and supporting more people to cook affordable, seasonal and nutritious homemade food from scratch.
Now celebrating our 15th year in operation, we are still driven by our belief that EVERYONE deserves good food, our mission is simple: to work collaboratively with others to eradicate food poverty and increase food sustainability in Greater Manchester.
We enthuse, encourage, and teach individuals and groups how to source and cook affordable, healthy, and delicious food from scratch, whilst minimising both food waste and our environmental impact. We do this by delivering accessible and empowering cooking courses and training, as part of a wider campaign for affordable, sustainable & healthier food for all.
More than 80% of our work is with communities experiencing food poverty, social isolation and other complex hardships; our public cookery school classes, catering service and team building activities all help to cover our core costs and enable us to continue providing vital community support.
Since 2010 we have worked with more than 27,800 participants, 573 organisations, and 527 volunteers, and we have delivered 2100+ sessions, with 83,404 dishes served.
