This year will be the fourth Christmas that our fantastic Veg Box People customers and supporters have generously gifted a box of veggies to help those facing homelessness and poverty this winter. 

Since 2020 we have been partnering up with Mustard Tree to make sure that locally grown, great tasting, organic veggies have a place at their Christmas sit down meal.

Mustard Tree is one of Greater Manchester’s most loved and respected charities, working to create life-transforming opportunities for people who are homeless or are at risk of becoming homeless. With hubs in Manchester and Salford, each month they get over 6,000 visits to their Food Clubs. The Food Club is one of a growing number of community initiatives across the UK and is open to anyone who receives benefits or is on a low income. Members pay £3 per visit which gets them 10 items, including six cupboard essentials such as bread, cereal and long-life milk, plus four fridge items like ready meals, meat, fish and dairy. For people in a critical situation, these items are free.

Many items from donated veg boxes will go directly to their Food Club as ‘free’ options for people, to make sure they can cook healthy, hearty meals. As Harry Dwan, Fundraising and Advocacy Lead at Mustard Tree, explains, “There’s a million reasons why that’s brilliant: health, dignity, quality, opportunity; the more varied produce we can provide, the better. Beyond that, it’s about self-efficacy and people realising they deserve access to the best, regardless of circumstances”.

This sentiment is one we know that our customers share. Central to our vision is that good food, which doesn’t cost the earth, should be available for all. We believe in a system that is fair and sustainable, where growers get paid a fair price, where soil health is prioritised and nature respected, where food is seasonal and grown locally so supply chains are short and transparent. We know the current food system is broken and why alternatives to the supermarkets are needed now more than ever.  At Veg Box People, we want our customers to feel part of a solution to a more equitable and just food system, and by partnering up with the Mustard Tree, we want everyone, regardless of circumstance, to enjoy our fabulous veggies!

If you would like to sign up for a one off christmas veg bag to donate to Mustard Tree this Christmas, then head over to our Christmas donation page on our ooooby site https://vegboxpeople.ooooby.org/christmas to sign up. Or if you are an existing customer, just click on the ‘Christmas Donation’ tab on your account dashboard. 

‍