By Rachel Marshall, Eggcup Trustee and FoodFutures working group coordinator
Eggcup is running a crowdfunding campaign asking for help to be able to continue to support local people and stop food going to waste.
Eggcup has been working across Lancaster District to support people in financial difficulties since 2019. The core of our work is around the operation of a professional food warehouse. This allows us to save a wide range of surplus food from going to waste. We process and package food to make it accessible and affordable to members. Each week hundreds of member households save money which can make the difference between staying OK or falling into crisis.
Over the past few years you may have noticed a buzz of activity taking place in the old cooperative shop near Lancaster bus station which acts as our surplus food warehouse and shop. You may have seen our community shop in Morecambe and a new pop-up shop in Carnforth.
We have a hundred volunteers who work in our warehouse and shop outlets, as well as behind the scenes on admin, driving and food preparation. There is a whole community of people around Eggcup who make it what it is. This community benefits from the connection that comes through volunteering and working to support each other.
We are always trying to work collaboratively and progressively. We run a district-wide buying cooperative, procuring low-cost staples at discount. This is open to our members as well as other local food clubs. We’re grateful for a collaboration with Lancaster & Morecambe College who create tasty and healthy meals from surplus food that we send them. These meals are then sold at low cost through the buying cooperative.
We also support Gather (North Lancashire’s sustainable food hub) by providing warehousing and logistics support, with the aim of building bridges between food poverty work and sustainable food production.
For years, Eggcup has worked tirelessly to support people throughout the pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis. It now desperately needs a lifeline of its own!
Recently it has been challenging to raise funds to cover our core costs. We do have a viable plan for sustainable financial development going forward. We’re going to scale up production of our ready meals and sell them to a wider audience. Our meals are waste-busting as well as affordable, delicious and convenient! We believe in this plan, but like all revenue generating plans it will take time to roll out and make a return.
In the meantime, if we cannot quickly raise core funds, Eggcup will be forced to close in January 2025 and everything Eggcup contributes to the district will be lost. We’re seeking funds from a range of sources including a crowdfunder. Please have a look, donate if you can and share this message widely.
