UPDATE: We have extended this till February !
We are thrilled to see how many people have seen our crowdfunding post and are heartened to see how many people care about Rice Up! We are so grateful for all your contributions as every pound really does help. Did you know, amazingly, 33,000 people have seen our post so far! We know it's a big ask, but that means if everyone who has seen our post is able to donate £ 1 - yes £ 1 - then we could smash our target and save Rice Up! Please help us if you can - we only have so many days to go and we so want to stay. Thank you from the Rice up Team X
Rice Up Wholefoods has been providing Southampton with accessible ethical goods and groceries since 2013 but we have found ourselves battling to keep the place surviving during these most unprecedented of times. The pandemic has had a devasting effect on many business' but we have especially felt this as less people brave city centre shopping and spend their money online instead. Add to this recent break-ins; equipment breakdowns and wholesale prices shooting up we are left facing the prospect of not being able to pay our rent for the first time since we opened.
We have never wanted to ask for your help in this way before but we worry without it Rice Up may no longer be able to stay open. Our team has changed and evolved over the years but our mission to offer vegan, green, fairtrade and organic products at competitive prices has never changed. We're worked so hard to make sure we've remained a reliable and friendly place for the local community to shop at but also get advice and be in the company of other caring people either by working, volunteering with us or just popping by- and we love what we do.
We feel passionately that we're a space worth fighting for- we've always tried our best to keep our product range exciting and fairly priced (we keep our profit margins as low as possible) whilst striving to ensure everything we sell is fair to the planet, other workers and of course animal-free. We think we're a breath of fresh air from your usual high street chains and are proud that we offer Southampton a more compassionate and honest shopping experience.
We appreciate all the support we have received over the years but we now ask if it is possible you are able to help us by donating, sharing our fundraiser or just by visiting us next time you are nearby. We are aiming high at £20,000 but if we were able to raise this amount it would mean a small amount of breathing space for us to be able to pay the rent this quarter, ensure our shelves are kept stacked with your favourite products and get back on track to a sustainable future in more ways than one. Thank you from the Rice Up Team