Robin Ferris, CEO & Founder and Harry Coombes, Copywriter
2020 has been a turbulent year for all. As we enter the new year, we take a look back at this crucial period for Bankuet. And how we managed to grow, with your support, to help more communities in spite of Covid-19 social limitations.
Before we begin, let's take a look back at where we were this time last year. 2019 was our trial year. We piloted our concept, helped 10 food banks and shipped over 15,000 zero waste items, feeding just over 500 people. But this was just the beginning - we knew we needed to help more people in 2020, we just had no idea what awaited...
When Covid-19 Hit...
Covid-19 has dominated the headlines all year. When the pandemic began in early March, the uncertainty led many to panic buy food as we went into lockdown. UK food banks found themselves struggling for donations and under immense pressure as shelves emptied.
But just when the situation seemed ready to go from bad to worse, Bankuet saw radical generosity. Hundreds of people were looking for ways to help and we were delighted to help them support their local food banks.
Your immense generosity meant donations soared 5,000% month on month during March and April. This volume allowed us to expand; we were able to start buying directly from wholesalers in bulk.
Within the first two months of the first lockdown, we had already shipped 133,000 items across the country. Approximately 5,000 people fed with your help - and we were just getting started.
But a huge increase in donations wasn't the only growth we were seeing. Much to our amazement, people were coming forward left, right and centre to give their skills and time as volunteers. We call this highly skilled, motivated and passionate team...
Our Bankueteers
Our volunteer community is vital to everything we do, so we’re continuing to build it with our people-first mentality. Whether it's hosting group engagement events, informational talks or general support over zoom, we’re committed to a healthy thriving community. Together, we’re learning the full extent of UK food poverty, but also how to combat it to help those in our communities who are experiencing a crisis.
Thanks to the unwavering focus of our 200+ Bankueteers, we’ve been able to get food banks what they need and make it easier for donors to give. Through your generosity, over 18,000 people have been supported this pandemic.
Our Impact
100+ Food banks supported this year
18,600+ Bundles donated
18,500+ People given enough food for one week
51 Cities served by Bankuet
1000+ Bulk deliveries
Without the compassion of you, our donors, and the work of our food bank partners, none of this would have been possible. Your kindness saw us reach our 20,000th donation; an achievement we didn't expect to meet until 2022! Thank you for your overwhelming generosity.
“Bankuet provides us with an easy online alternative to physical food donations which has been a valuable resource during the pandemic, when people still want to give but cannot come and donate food in person.” — Carey Evans, Partnership Manager, Southwark Food Bank
Our Community
Through people such as you giving so others can have enough, we’ve now grown to support over 100 food banks. It's been a learning curve to get things right - and it still is, but the food banks have been essential support.
“One of the great advantages of using Bankuet is only receiving food items that you actually need. Each week we receive a shopping list and that is filled in with the shortages we actually require.” — Hugh McNeill, Project Manager, Coventry Food Bank
This year we've run 180+ fundraising campaigns with large multi-national companies, schools, churches and community groups wanting to get involved. Here's what they thought about Bankuet:
“I really appreciate anyone that aims to remove the stigma [of using a food bank] and that’s why I identified so strongly with Bankuet’s mission. Not just giving the food bank your rejects.” - Stephanie, 35
“This is a better system because food banks get what they want, or what they need - rather than what we think they might need.” - William, 71
In the News
Your support and our efforts have caught the media's attention this year. The highlights include featuring on national news platforms such as ITVNews and BBC Sunday Morning LIVE, media outlets such as The Guardian and the Telegraph and podcasts on SkyNews and Spotify. We also received three award nominations including The Spectator's Economic Innovator of the Year and won the Specialty Food Magazine’s Covid Innovation Competition.
The Challenge Ahead
The full effect of lockdown and tier restrictions on the economy is still not known. Six food parcels were expected to be delivered every minute between October and December 2020. The furlough scheme may have helped thousands, but just how much, we don't know. And with unemployment looming and the impact of Brexit on the horizon, the strain on food banks is likely to only become more severe. There are undeniably obstacles to overcome for us to achieve our vision of a UK where nobody goes hungry.
We're striving to help food banks utilise their donations as efficiently as possible to help provide supplies to the people who need it most. But food banks do more than just offer supplies; they restore dignity and hope for a future where people have enough to eat.
That’s our mission. Are you with us?
You can make a difference by sharing this blog, connecting with our community on social media or donating today.