Canteen Cornwall Feeding Frontline Staff
This week, our friends at Woodfired Canteen hit a huge milestone in their mission to feed Cornwall’s community of NHS frontline workers through the COVID-19 pandemic. They made and delivered their 20,000th box of food. We are honoured to have been involved with this incredible effort.
Chef Ben Quinn estimates that 20,000 meals is 7000kg of healthy and nutritious food – the equivalent weight to an adult T-Rex. If those 20,000 boxes went to individual people who all sat down at a table to eat at the same time, that table would be over four miles long. It is an amazing achievement for Woodfired Canteen’s team of seven, preparing these meals from their base in St Agnes.
As their mission to feed frontline workers grew, Ben realised that their messaging wasn’t travelling as far as their food.
“As our boxes went further then we ever would have imagined we started to notice a disconnect between why we started this and what we wanted to achieve.” – Ben Quinn
After a conversation with us about how to solve this problem, we settled on a “seal of approval” in the form of a sticker for every box of food, to let the recipients know what’s in the box, why, and where it’s come from.
“These stickers seal every box and reiterate to every person that receives one that we love them, they bring us hope and that we are all part of this- we are still a community.” – Ben Quinn
As the curve continues to fall, Ben’s imagination is now moving to the future, the new normal, and how Canteen’s tables may become a symbol in these times for community and togetherness. He’s got some exciting ideas and news about how and when they can return to feeding their year round community in Cornwall with good value food made with good values, and we’re excited to support that.
You can donate to Canteen’s fund to help feed frontline NHS staff through their crowdfunder, and help them continue to do such worthy work for as long as it is needed.