Made In Hackney: community kitchen receives £22k of extra funding

Award winning community kitchen and cookery school, Made In Hackney, returned for their second crowdfunding campaign, this time looking to grow the project and secure their future. Their goal was to ensure that they could help thousands more people through their life-changing cookery and food growing courses.

The big idea

Launched in 2012, Made In Hackney is an inclusive programme that supports a diverse range of community groups. There is a particular focus on groups that stand the most to gain by attending, including the vulnerable, the low income and the marginalised, who are often the individuals that suffer the most from lifestyle related chronic health conditions.

With a no-compromise approach, this eco-conscious initiative aims to inspire the London community to eat food that is genuinely good for both people and planet. However, they also have a much bigger vision to improve economic and employability prospects, which they achieve through their offering of various courses, volunteer programmes and training.

Made In Hackney have already helped 6,000 people in London to gain the necessary food skills needed to lead healthier and happier lives. They have had an amazing impact with their endeavour, but turned to the Crowd once again to ensure that they can keep delivering their plant-based cookery courses for many years to come.

Success!

With over three weeks still left on the clock, this Crowdfunder project truly hit the ground running. Not only had they already hit their first funding target, but they also received £22k of extra funding from Santander’s Changemaker Fund, which aims to help social enterprises, small charities and community groups throughout the UK to deliver innovative solutions that will improve communities.

The impact

Made In Hackney tackles some of the biggest problems faced by society, including unemployment, food growth, food wastage and poverty, and stands as an exemplary model for what a community kitchen can begin to offer. These changemakers know that their approach works, and their most recent statistics demonstrate the impressive impact of their venture.

• 95% of participants said that the programme helped them to feel more connected to their local community.
• 90% of participants said that the programme inspired them to cook more from scratch.
• 90% of participants said that the programme inspired them to eat more fruit and vegetables.
• 85% of volunteers said they gained skills and experience that enhanced their employability prospects.
• 60% of volunteers said that they secured paid work as a direct result of volunteering with Made In Hackney.

Got a great idea?

Do you have a community-benefitting project that supports social change and delivers measurable impact? Then you might also be eligible to receive extra funding for your idea. Check out there current funds that we have on offer here.

Together, we can activate social change through the power of ideas.

• Want to know more about Made In Hackney? Check out their Crowdfunder project page here.