Always on
This project successfully funded on 11th May 2026, you can still support them with a donation.
From Farm to Food Bank: Feeding Families in Need
Exeter, England, United Kingdom
Aim
We are Devon Dig and Donate and we need your help to keep growing food for vulnerable people & empower our community through free workshops.
Who are we, and what is our project about?
Devon Dig and Donate CIC is a community growing project based in Broadclyst near Exeter. We have a mission to grow fresh produce to donate to food banks and community organisations supporting vulnerable people and those experiencing food poverty within Exeter and the surrounding communities.
Our aim is not just to provide produce for families and individuals, but to equip and empower the community with the knowledge and skills needed to be able to grow, harvest and use fresh produce themselves. All this whilst tackling the climate crisis.
In just our first year, we have already proudly donated over 1000 kilos of fresh, organically grown produce to those in need. We have hosted numerous community groups and events, beginning to teach both children and adults the benefits of growing their own food and how to support and improve biodiversity. We have also partnered with Exeter Seed Bank, the Exeter Community Payback Team and Exeter Food Action.
"We love Devon Dig and Donate's vision of enabling the community to get outside, grow fresh produce and find belonging along the way. Their mission to reduce food poverty by supplying this produce to families is truly inspiring" Becky Callaghan, St Basils Devon.
Why are we crowdfunding?
With demand for food banks rapidly increasing as people face the current cost of living crisis, our project is needed more than ever.
We are raising £40,000 to support the vital work that we are doing in the following ways.
1) Development of our site:
To increase the amount of food we can donate we need to make several developments to our site to increase our growing capacity. Your generous donations will fund the installation of new vegetable beds, comprehensive vertical growing structures and vital irrigation systems. This will enable us to increase yields, harvests and crop resilience, and allow us to grow and donate more fresh, nutritious, organic produce for families in need. We also intend to embed and develop regenerative and agroecological systems across the site to restore nature and the soil, enhancing biodiversity and tackling climate change on a local and global scale.
"We are so grateful for the generous donations that Devon Dig and Donate provide on a regular basis" Bradninch Food Shed.
2) Free workshops to empower the community.
With a secondary mission to empower families and individuals to learn the skills needed to be able to grow their own food to combat food poverty, we want to host free workshops on site and in our local community. The aim of these is to be able to equip and empower people with the skills and knowledge needed to feel more in control of their access to fresh, healthy and nutritious food and a more sustainable lifestyle. Your donations will help us run workshops where we will teach people how to sow seeds, grow and harvest all kinds of fruit and veg, and know how to make the most of any sized space or garden to grow food. This funding will also enable us to gift participants with the resources and equipment needed to get growing (seeds, compost, tools etc).
"We love to support sustainable, local initiatives that make a real difference. We love seeing the project progress and all the wonderful fresh produce the community garden creates" Nicole Bates, Coastal Recycling
3) Staffing and ongoing running costs;
Our project is currently run by volunteers who selflessly give their time to run growing sessions, complete admin tasks, run our social media and marketing, and deliver our produce in and around Exeter. The donations you make will help us to cover staffing costs for admin and session facilitator roles over the next 2 years, as well as ongoing running costs for the project, enabling us to expand and increase our offer to those who need it most.
"We are really proud to be able to work with such an inspiring local project" Jess Proser, Suez
How you can help
There are three simple ways to get involved and support our project:
1. Make a donation
Every pledge gets us closer to our goal and there are lots of exciting rewards to choose from! 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.
3. Volunteer with us
If you’d like to get involved, we’d love to hear from you. Please get in touch through the ‘Contact’ section on our website using the subject "I want to volunteer my time or expertise".
Communities Fund has provided £3,260 of match funding
Communities Fund Employee Giving has provided £1,200 of match funding
Funding method
Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made