In Kind Direct boosts Let’s Get Cooking kitchens

Let’s Get Cooking clubs receive £13,000 worth of goods and kitchen equipment by working with Business in the Community and In Kind Direct.

Business in the Community and In Kind Direct, two of The Prince’s Charities, set up a successful partnership to give all Let’s Get Cooking clubs across England access to discounted goods and kitchen equipment. All schools who take part in the Let’s Get Cooking programme can join the In Kind Direct charity network for free and secure kitchen supplies and equipment for a handling charge that is a fraction of the cost on the high street.

This is the first time that In Kind Direct has worked with extra-curricular school clubs. 112 Let’s Get Cooking clubs have now registered nationally on the In Kind Direct website. 19 schools have already received goods and kitchen equipment to the value of almost £13,000. Access to equipment makes a fundamental difference for clubs wishing to start or expand their Let’s Get Cooking activities. More equipment enables them to teach more and more children, their parents and the wider community how to cook healthy meals from scratch, and share the joy of eating together.

Ali Winstone, Let’s Get Cooking Club Co-ordinator at Foxmoor School in Stroud, South West, said:

"As a primary school without many cooking resources, In Kind Direct’s fantastic service means that we have been able to get hold of top of the range saucepan sets and Pyrex dishes for our club with very little outlay - thus our £500 equipment budget has gone a lot further in our first year than expected. We have also bought sundry items such as: washing up liquid, washing powder, fabric softener and scouring sponges, also at very minimal cost to ourselves. These types of items will last for a long time. Therefore we will be able to use our precious budget for more important things such as, hopefully, a new cooker and more cooking ingredients. The service we have received from In Kind Direct has been very prompt, their website is easy to use and the products always arrive in excellent conditions."

James Williams, Head of Business Development, In Kind Direct, said:

"We’re delighted that so many Let’s Get Cooking groups are already benefiting from In Kind Direct’s service. The stock we have available to distribute is limited by the donations we get from companies. We’re always working hard to get more companies involved so that more worthwhile causes like the Let’s Get Cooking groups can benefit. This project goes to show by how working together The Prince’s Charities can really increase our impact."

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1. Let’s Get Cooking is funded by The BIG Lottery Fund and led by the School Food Trust in partnership with a range of well-known of organisations with experience in food skills and campaigning. These include The Prince’s Trust, Business in the Community and Magic Outcomes. They spearhead projects aimed at key target audiences including teenagers, schools and communities in areas of high deprivation, and encourage sustainable support from businesses. The British Nutrition Foundation and the Royal Society for Health are also involved in an advisory capacity.
   
   
2. Business in the Community mobilises business for good. Its members commit to improve the way in which they manage their resources, be that their people or the planet. Its power is the unique platform this creates for collaborative action. We work across four areas of expertise in the Workplace, Marketplace, Environment and Community. By sharing knowledge and experience, and developing innovative solutions, we are a catalyst for change and a demonstration of the positive impact business can have in society.
   
   
3. In Kind Direct re-distributes new goods donated by some of Britain's best-known manufacturers and retailers to hundreds of voluntary organisations working at home and abroad. Founded in 1996, In Kind Direct has since distributed over £95 million in value of goods from over 800 companies and over 7,000 charities have benefited.