The Cumberland is making its biggest-ever charity donation, committing £500,000 over two years to help combat food poverty.
Building society helps fight food poverty
Kinder Kind of Kitchen
The Kinder Cookbook
We're proud to share the Kinder Cookbook, a testament to the power of kindness
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The Cumberland donates £175,000
Read more about our donation to support food banks and projects helping communities in need
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Kinder Kind of Kitchen
Launched in June 2023, our Kinder Kind of Kitchen community initiative supports people to overcome the main challenge many people across Cumbria and Lancashire face daily: food poverty. Because when times get tough, this is a kinder kind of place.
For our 175th Annual General Meeting in July, we pledged to donate £2 to the Kinder Kind of Kitchen initiative for every member who cast a vote. A total of 8,081 members took part, with £16,162 raised. Of this, £14,098 was donated to FareShare Lancashire and Cumbria, with a further £2,064 donated to support FareShare Glasgow and the West of Scotland.
In 2023 additional funding from the building society provided fridges, freezers and chiller cabinets to members who needed them, and last year it provided kitchen equipment such as slow-cookers and air-fryers.
FareShare is the UK’s national network of charitable food redistributors. They take surplus food from the food industry and get it to charities and community groups who need it. In Lancashire and Cumbria, FareShare is operated by the charity Recycling Lives Social Enterprise. From their distribution centre in Preston, they deliver thousands of tonnes of food providing millions of meals to communities across the counties every year. You can read more about what they do on their website.
In Southwest Scotland, FareShare is operated by the charity Move On based in Glasgow. You can read more on what they do here.
FareShare supports Community Food Members (CFMs). This can include kitchens serving hot food, foodbanks, community supermarkets, breakfast clubs, and more. They get a range of fresh, frozen, ambient and chilled produce during weekly deliveries to distribute to people in need.
FareShare Lancashire and Cumbria and FareShare Glasgow and the West of Scotland already operate in the area, so our donation will help deliver, enhance and expand this important work. The donation will allow CFMs to invest in more food or expand their provision for our communities.
In Cumbria and Lancashire, please contact CFM@recyclinglives.org.
In Southwest Scotland, please contact fareshareteam@moveon.org.uk.
Cumbria’s foodbanks facing ‘perfect storm'
The Cumberland Building Society has announced it is taking the unprecedented step of pledging £250,000 to a charity that helps combat food poverty in Cumbria.
Who are we helping?
See the FareShare’ Community Food Members in Cumbria, and some in Lancashire, who we will be supporting
Kinder Kind of Kitchen £250k making a difference
Projects helping tackle food poverty in Cumbria say they have been given a massive boost by The Cumberland’s Kinder Kind of Kitchens initiative.
Supporting Grange-over-Sands Food Club
A summer activity club for families in the South Lakes is getting a welcome boost thanks to The Cumberland's Kinder kind of Kitchens initiative.
The Kinder Cookbook
We're proud to share The Kinder Cookbook, a testament to the power of kindness