Changing Diets & Building Food Resilience for life

Aim

Support Bags of Taste transform lives by empowering people to make long lasting changes to their diets and be financially resilient for life

About Bags of Taste

At Bags of Taste, we believe that everyone deserves to eat healthy and affordable food.

We're a small organisation, set up 11 years ago to support people who are eating the worst diets. They and their families are at risk of getting sick earlier and dying younger than the rest of the population.

Bags of Taste helps people facing multiple challenges  — such as poor health, disability, long‑term unemployment or insecure housing — to make long-lasting changes to their diets. We know that there are many barriers to eating well which include the cost of food, living near lots of takeaway shops or lack of availability, time or confidence.

How we make a difference

Our award-winning mentored home programme happens in peoples' homes. We deliver a free bag of ingredients, equipment and recipes direct to their home and together in groups and led by an experienced personal volunteer, people are supported step‑by‑step over WhatsApp or the phone. 

The programme is more than cooking, it's about providing people with a mix of   practical skills (such as knife skills and batch cooking) and advice on local shopping, cooking tasty food at low cost, food storage and managing a budget. These skills and knowledge mean people are confident and can cook healthy, affordable food for themselves long term.

Recognising the many barriers people face to attend face to face community activities, the home based programme reaches those who are often excluded or overlooked. They might also be facing financial hardship or social isolation.

By doing the programme in their own kitchen, families cook and eat together, gain confidence and change habits for good. Skills are consolidated and habits start to change and there is high child engagement, offering generational benefits.

Our project is unique and no one else is offering a similar programme in the same way - at home and supported by personalised mentors.

After the programme, people are more confident, are cooking more regularly and making direct cash savings of £20 per week so £1040 a year.

Why people need urgent support now

Food insecurity is a huge problem and poor diets contribute to 25% of early deaths across the UK. Those on low incomes bear the brunt of this. 

Improving your diet alone can increase your life expectancy by 10 years.

We want to support more people to take part in the Bags of Taste Food Resilience Programme creating happier and healthier communities. People will be healthier, more food resilient and financially resilient for the long term. 

This funding will mean 136 people will be able to take part in the programme - we have waiting lists in many areas.

How we’ll spend the money raised

£15,000 could pay for 136 families to do the programme – this means they’ll change their diets for good.

£15 could pay for a 'Bags of Taste bag' for 1 person containing fresh ingredients, basic equipment and recipes for a week's worth of meals

£45 could pay for 3 'Bags of Taste bags'

£110 could pay for someone to take part in the Bags of Taste home programme for 2 weeks

The impact you will make happen 

Your donation will be life changing for families 

• Not only do they feel more confident and motivated to cook but long term….
• They have better diets, better health and can save an average of £20 a week so £1040 a year at the end
• People are also eating less processed food and ready meals and more fruit and vegetables
• They feel less isolated and more connected to their community
• Children get the opportunity to get involved in cooking new things and it opens up conversations about food.

Who we work with 

We specialise in supporting those who really struggle to improve their diets and are mainly eating takeaways and ultra-processed food or ready meals. 78% of the people we work with experience poor mental health and 59% have disabilities or long term medical conditions. They also face the additional challenge of cost, which worsens their situation, meaning eating healthy and affordable food is much more difficult. 

Our experience

Over the last 11 years, we’ve helped 14,000 people change their diets for good. 

We have a strong reputation and track record and established referral partners across 21 locations. Last year, we worked with 736 local referral partners. The programme was co-designed with previous participants and we continually revise the programme based on feedback 

Our staff and volunteer team are highly experienced at working with vulnerable people and are trained in trauma based approaches. 80% of our volunteer mentors are nutritionists or food teachers so already have a good knowledge and understanding of how to motivate and support people. Our experience has shown us that the people we support can be low in confidence and need a lot of reassurance. 

We’ve won awards which include the UK's Food and Drink Federation's 'Community Partner of the Year' 2019 award and the global .ORG 2019 Impact Award for innovation. We were also runners up in the Observer Food Monthly 2017 and 2019 Best Ethical Food Project.

Everyone knows that food banks are not for the long term.

The Bags of Taste programme is not only sustainable but gives people choice and dignity.

There are three simple ways to get involved and support our project:

How you can support the project 

1. Make a donation to our Crowdfunder

Every pledge gets us closer to our goal. Early support can help build momentum and inspire others to give too.

2. Spread the word

Share our project with friends, family and your wider network. The more people we reach, the more likely we are to succeed.

2. Hold a Gingerbread party fundraiser on behalf of Bags of Taste

Take part in the Bags of Taste Christmas Gingerbread Party 🎄🎄🎄 - we'll provide you with everything you need to have a great party - gingerbread recipe and spices, cookie cutters, measuring spoons and icing bags plus raisins to decorate.

- Hold your gingerbread party along with mulled wine - and ask guests to make a small donation to attend - every bit counts! It's a great activity to do with the kids

- Make gingerbread yourself and gift it to family and friends and donate the money saved on presents 😍

get your pack by signing up on the link here - http://www.bit.ly/43Rfe16 

Funding method

Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made