Community Food Hubs Impact Report 2023-2024

What are community fridges?

Community fridges are a tried and tested way to save good food from going to waste. Since 2014, Hubbub has been coordinating the Community Fridge Network which now connects over 650 community fridges across the UK to share knowledge, resources and support.

Community fridges have always been much more than just fridges. Through Hubbub’s close collaboration with these groups, we know their teams are full of ambition and ideas to enrich their communities. They want to bring people together, develop new skills, improve access to healthy food and take on local environmental issues such as food waste, protecting nature and overconsumption.

What about food hubs?

This inspired the creation of the Community Food Hub Fund, a grant providing community fridges with funding, tools and support to bring their ideas to life. From plant-powered cooking workshops and community dinners, to grow-your-own gardens and libraries of things, community fridges have grown into vibrant hubs for sharing and learning and in turn, have boosted their social and environmental impact.

Summary

Thanks to the Community Food Hub Fund made possible by Starbucks UK along with support, resources and training provided by Hubbub, community fridges have launched a whole host of community-building activities to become Food Hubs.

Participants have acquired new cooking skills, shared community meals and cultivated growing spaces that now produce fruit and vegetables that go back into the fridges. This is just a glimpse of the inspiring projects underway across the UK.

This report highlights the stories and impact of projects launched in 2023. So far, an astounding 8,892 people have benefitted from this fund.

What’s included?

From 2023 to 2024, community fridges who became food hubs received the following:

Funding

Webinars Photography Socials

Between £7,000 - £9,000 in grant funding.

Opportunities to learn from and share with other food hubs in ‘food hubble’ peer groups.

Bespoke newsletter workshops, training, webinars tailored to their needs.

Photography and video captured by Hubbub visits and shared with the hubs to use.

2023 in numbers

8,892 participants

35 28 163 live projects

Cooking classes Community meals Growing

Everything else: Community cafes, libraries of things, healthy ready meals and more!

NB – the number of projects is higher than the number of food hubs because groups tend to deliver more than one type of activity.

How do the projects work?

No two food hubs are the same. Coordinators run their spaces in ways that fit their communities best. Here’s a breakdown of what this could look like for the most popular activities:

Cooking classes

Some groups offer formal cooking classes with a sign-up system, typically lasting six weeks, while others find that drop-in sessions reduce pressure and have better engagement. Often a trained chef leads the classes, but groups frequently invite participants to share their own tips and recipes throughout the course. Cooking demos held alongside the community fridge can be an effective way to showcase recipes using fridge items, such as potatoes or turnips, which might otherwise be overlooked.

Community meals

Groups serve up dishes from morning till night depending on what works best. It could be a Thursday supper club where anyone looking for a hot meal and a chat can come along or pumpkin disco soups on a weekday lunchtime. Activities centre around the school term, for example after-school meals and a hang-out before parents come home. People come for the food but stay for the social connection.

Growing

From herb gardens on the patio outside a community fridge, to full allotment transformations, groups are finding places to grow in spaces big and small. More informal activities look like drop-in days for anyone to come along and muck in. Other groups run gardening courses with qualifications or tailored events for social prescribers, children or vulnerable individuals.

Everything else

Some food hubs have come up with their own innovative ideas. For instance, establishing tool sheds where people can borrow the odd item for the odd job. Baby clothing swaps and equipment libraries, such as car seat exchanges, have also proven to be popular. We also have community fridges on wheels, bringing food directly to people who aren’t able to visit (or travel) to the fridge.

Transforming lives

When asked if their activities had had a lasting effect on their volunteers and participants, food hub coordinators said 855 people had made a change to their behaviour or had acquired a new skills from being part of these projects. Here are some of the amazing tranformations they’ve shared:

Growing

Canolfan Maerdy Food Hwb: ‘At least three volunteers linked with our growing project and food hub activities said they now think differently about food, food growing and production and how waste can be improved by learning to save, freeze, cook as well as budgeting and eating healthily.’

Community meals

Young@heart Community Fridge:

‘One young university student has gained work experience and training by volunteering at the community café.’

Surplus to Purpose Community Fridge:

‘At least 10% of those that attended have taken up employment or education involving catering or hospitality thanks to the courses we put on.’

Cooking classes

Village Centre Community Fridge: ‘All regular participants were more confident cooks, cooking more meals from scratch at home and felt more willing to try new foods based on the recipes explored in class.’

Case studies

Cooking up more adventurous foods

Kendal Food Hub

Lake District

Kendal Food Hub spotted a trend: certain foods were always left behind at their community fridge. They set up cooking demos, family cookalongs and a library of healthy recipes to empower fridge visitors to try new food, showcasing more ‘adventurous’ ingredients like beetroot. Over time this has evolved into work experience opportunities for Kendal’s local college and launching tailored sessions for people with additional needs. Participants have said they now have the skills to whip up delicious and nutritious meals at home.

“Many of our visitors used to hesitate to take some food on offer as they don’t know how to prepare it. After the course, people are more confident and adventurous with their food choices.”

- Volunteer

A café created by the community, for the community

Treyla Community Café

Cornwall

Trelya has created a welcoming community café, run by regular staff and volunteers, and hosts food workshops twice a week. Participants have shared how learning practical skills like batch cooking, understanding seasonal produce, and improving knife techniques have led to healthier habits at home. What makes the café special is its collaborative spirit and participants play an active role in shaping the daily menu. One participant said, “It’s my favourite part of the day when the manager asks, ‘What do you fancy making today?”.

To ensure everyone can access nutritious meals, Trelya introduced a ‘pay it forward’ board, where customers contribute meals for others. But the café offers more than just food. It has become a hub for drop-in support sessions, including employment services, budgeting advice, and stop smoking programmes.

Amanda, who has a hearing impairment and autism, has faced significant challenges in her life. She describes how shopping for one can be overwhelming and how she used to overcook but the café taught her about batch cooking and freezing meals in single portions. This has saved her time and money and helped her maintain a more balanced diet.

“It’s an amazing community space, you can come here and talk to anyone.”

Community fridge visitor

No longer in a pickle about food waste

Trinity Rooms

Gloucestershire

Over three months, Trinity Rooms hosted food preservation classes for 24 participants. They took away skills in making ferments, chutneys and jams, all using surplus locally sourced produce. Feedback from participants was overwhelmingly positive. They appreciated learning something practical and meaningful and the communal aspect of cooking together, rather than preparing food alone at home. They’ve gone on to share their own recipes for pickled beetroot and sweetened cucumber pickle.

“I really enjoyed learning new skills, cooking communally, and meeting new people.”

- Participant

Connecting young people with the food they eat

Canolfan Maerdy Food Hwb

South Wales

Canolfan Maerdy Food Hwb, a vibrant growing project and youth café, has become a cornerstone of the community. Through the project, the young volunteers have experienced the full cycle of food – from planting seeds to harvesting and preparing meals with fresh produce. The fruits of their labour are shared with the wider community through weekly fruit and veg boxes. The impact of the activities are rubbing off on volunteers too. Three regulars said they have become more mindful about food waste with the food hub teaching the importance of saving, freezing, cooking, eating healthily and budgeting. The youth café has become more than simply a place to hang out. By running the café themselves, young people have taken on leadership roles, building confidence, and developing valuable skills, while empowering them to take ownership of what has truly become their café.

“I’m currently waiting on surgery and coming to volunteer here weekly has helped keep my mind active and gives me a sense of purpose. I enjoy creating the food boxes, talking to our users and socialising with other volunteers.”

- Volunteer

Growing the community after lockdown

People’s Fridge Milton

Glasgow

People’s Fridge Milton has created a vibrant kitchen garden that winds around the entrance to the community fridge. Volunteers decided they wanted to grow soft fruits, fresh salads, and herbs which go straight into the fridge when picked. When the project launched, the community gardener set up a stall to invite people to have a chat, take plants home and share how to get involved. Though this year’s slugs posed a challenge, Milton turned it into a learning moment about the pros and cons of organic pest control methods. The garden’s impact extends beyond food. It makes the hub greener and more inviting whilst enhancing local biodiversity

“Many people don’t think you’re able to be helpful if you’re disabled, but this project has given me a real purpose. People see me now, not just the chair.”

- Caroline, volunteer

“This is my magical place. It’s like a play scheme for adults— that’s what gardening feels like to me.”

- Visitor

“Coming to the hub has given me a sense of purpose instead of loafing around. I make new friends.”

- Visitor

Bringing the basics closer to home

Heart of BS13 Community Fridge

South Bristol

In South Bristol, many households find themselves more than a mile from the nearest supermarket, with only costly convenience shops offering few fresh foods. Recognising this gap, the BS13 team set out to change the local food landscape by providing fairly priced, high-quality essentials to the community.

“This seems like something that would be in a different part of town, not here in Hartcliffe.”

- Sue, participant

In comes the e-cargo food bike — delivering pantry staples like bread, milk, eggs, cheese, fruit and vegetables right to the doorstep. 25 families now have access to nutritious, affordable food they otherwise couldn’t afford.

Inspiring a new generation of gardeners

Sax Community Fridge

Suffolk

The new allotment provides the SAX Community Fridge with vegetables year-round, thanks to the polytunnel. Locals have noticed the quality of the vegetables compared to what’s in supermarkets. A close-knit community has developed, with experienced members willingly passing on their knowledge to those who are new to gardening. They have even gone on to form ‘SOS’ taskforces to help one another with their gardening challenges. It’s a true mix of ages and abilities, representing a broad cross-section of the community.

“I have lived locally for a number of years but the allotment is the first place I have felt welcomed and accepted. I had no experience growing vegetables, but the atmosphere here is all about doing what you can and learning from one another. I’ve learned so much and found a great group of friends. The produce has been a real help as well, especially with finances being tight.”

- Sarah, participant

What’s next for food hubs?

Now in its second year, the Community Food Hub Fund is supporting a further 100 community fridges to become food hubs. 50 groups have already kicked off their activities and will shortly be sharing their learnings, stories and impact in their six month reporting survey. Hot off the press, another round has just closed and we’ll be selecting the 50 new projects this autumn. Stay tuned for the latest updates.