PROCESSED potato product manufacturer McCain Foods has celebrated the second anniversary of a community shop it has funded through product donations.
The social enterprise, Community Shop in Eastfield, North Yorkshire opened in 2023 and McCain’s product donations have reached a total value of more than £2.3 million since then.
The store provides local residents with access to high-quality, surplus food and household goods at significantly-reduced prices. These items would otherwise have gone to waste. The store also houses a Community Kitchen, offering low-cost wholesome hot meals, with children eating for free every day.
Revenue raised in the store is re-invested back into the local area through the store’s Community Hub, which offers personal development programmes tailored to the needs of each member. These programmes range from cookery clubs and home budgeting classes, to interview skills and business courses.
Since its opening, more than 1,600 community members have engaged with the Community Hub and the store has supported more than 7,300 people in the community.
Members have saved £1.8 million-plus on their shopping and the Community Kitchen has served more than 20,000 free kids’ meals.
In addition, more than 5,900 hub courses and cookery clubs have been completed by members.
McCain is also marking another important milestone with the strengthening of its Community Shop partnership through the opening of a new store in Hull, which opens on December 11th. The new branch in North Bransholme will feature a Community Hub and a Community Kitchen, including a café serving home-cooked meals where children can eat for free every day. The initiative is set to create 12 new jobs for local people.
Beyond its work with Community Shop, McCain actively supports communities through several impactful initiatives, including donating more than three million meals to FareShare since 2013.
Jillian Moffatt, Regional President GB&I at McCain, added: “McCain has called Eastfield home for over 50 years, and it’s a privilege to support an initiative like Community Shop.”
Executive Chairman at Community Shop, Gary Stott, said McCain’s support for Community Shop Eastfield is helping make a significant positive difference to local people and the wider community and its continued support had played a major role in helping to open the second store.
The Eastfield store is located at Eastfield Community Centre, High Street, Scarborough, YO11 3LJ and is open from 9am to 4.45pm on weekdays and from 9am to 2.45pm on Saturday. Community Shop North Bransholme is located at Community Centre, Lothian Way, Hull, HU7 5DD and is open 9am to 5pm on weekdays, and 9am to 3pm on Saturdays.
More information about the stores is available here .
