Heart of BS13 - Food Service

What we do at Heart of BS13

BS13 in South Bristol is in the 10% most deprived areas of the country.  We focus on increasing employment opportunities, improving health, and working towards environmental justice.  We do this through three areas of work.  Food hardship - improving nutrition and access to affordable food.  Horticulture - providing vocational training and volunteering opportunities for people who experience poor mental health and barriers to employment and Climate Action - increasing community confidence to address climate and biodiversity issues by tackling food and plastic waste.

Background to our social enterprise

Even before the Covid pandemic struck, Heart of BS13 focused on addressing multiple social and health challenges faced by our community.  As lockdown happened, we rapidly saw how households already creaking at the seams were completely unable to cope.  With few savings, ineligibility for furlough due to zero hours contracts and lengthy waits for benefits to begin, the past two years have seen increased job and financial insecurity, created insurmountable debt, had a devastating impact on people’s mental health, causing catastrophic changes to personal circumstances.  

Our focus throughout the lockdowns was to ensure that residents could access free, pre-cooked, delicious meals that would take the pressure off of strained household finances and contribute to a safety net of support for families.  Over an 18-month period, we supported more than 400 households with 40,000 meals, and as we moved into the spring of 2021, it became clear that the need for some kind of food service would continue.

How our social enterprise tackles food hardship

In April 2021, Heart of BS13 set up a social enterprise to fund the food related work that emerged out of the emergency response.  We produce high quality, chef-prepared frozen meals that we sell across the city of Bristol to customers who recognise the injustices of food poverty.  Each meal purchased contributes to our food service work, supporting dignity and access to food for people in BS13. 

As we launch this crowdfunder, 1 in 6 BS13 households experience financial precarity, and face a cost-of-living increase so severe that the choice between ‘heating or eating’ has become a daily concern.  The two words we hear most are how terrifying it is to be on that financial precipice and how personal pride, makes it hard to ask for help and support when it comes to food.

Since September 2021 and the start of the Food Service we have supported 61 households for between 8-12 weeks each and given away an average of 200 meals a week.  We also offer additional financial advice and support as well as initiatives such as the Slow Cooker Project.  

We are fundraising 

Our target is £10,000 to ensure that for the next 12 months we can support up to 300 households through our food service and pay for the staff time, ingredients and utility costs we need to run this vital service and build our enterprise sustainably.

How can you help?

We believe that no-one should have to panic because they can't afford to feed themselves and their family.  In the wake of the pandemic we face a cost of living crisis that is unprecedented in modern times and it's hitting disadvantaged communities like BS13 hard.  If you share our vision of improving food equity through social enterprise then please help us by making a direct donation or pledge for a selection of our delicious meals.

Thank you so much for your support!

Kristjan Bigland and the Heart of BS13 Kitchen Team