Top Bristol chefs and food organisations have launched a new initiative to ensure the city's most vulnerable people are fed during the Covid-19 crisis.
Bristol Food Union brings together some of the city’s best independent restaurants with local farmers, food retailers and community food infrastructure to support Bristol City Council’s emergency food provision.
Over the past 10 days the group, headed up by Aine Morris of Food Union Media, Josh Eggleton of the Pony & Trap group and Steph Wetherell of Bristol Food Producers, has created six production kitchens in restaurants around the city that are closed due to the pandemic.
With Poco Tapas, the Gallimaufry, Box-E, Season & Taste Group and Bianchi's Group also involved, the initiative is supporting Caring in Bristol to feed 500 rough sleepers who have been moved into sheltered accommodation.
In addition it is delivering weekly food provisions to 100 vulnerable adults who have recently left the foster care system, and its members are currently figuring out how to provide daily hot meals to hospital workers at Southmead.
Over the coming weeks the union will be sharing information, showing people how to help and organising Bristol’s restaurant community to get food to those who need it most.
A spokesperson said: "With your help we can continue to expand this essential emergency food provision, whilst also supporting our restaurants and food producers through this time of crisis."
Coronavirus has 'hit our food community hard'
The team behind Bristol Food Union announced why they wanted to launch the initiative.
In a statement, they said: "Our farmers, food producers and restaurants are facing an unprecedented moment of crisis across the industry.
"Covid-19 has hit our food community hard.
"Whilst the government package of business relief has offered some support, the economic impact on many food businesses is going to take much longer to recover from.
"We are working tirelessly to adapt our food systems in the face of unprecedented challenges, to make sure that we continue to bring food in from the fields, deliver meals safely to your doors and keep our nation well-fed.
"Helping our food community to survive this crisis is essential and immediate work. Many are not going to survive. Our nation’s food security matters more now than ever before. We cannot afford to lose them.
"There are ways that you can help, from your home and with the click of a button, to support and sustain Bristol’s food & farming communities."
How to help
Ways to help the scheme include buying meals for frontline workers for just £6 and donating to the Bristol Food Fund to help the industry get back on its feet once this crisis has passed.
You can also donate to the crowdfunder here. A donation of £5,000 was made by Bristol band Massive Attack on Friday.
For more information, visit Bristol Food Union's website.
