- McCain led funding enables Community Shop Eastfield to provide essential support to local families
- Over 7,300 local residents supported so far with essential food aid, with 1,600 participants gaining new skills through community-led courses
- McCain deepens community roots with new shop opening in North Bransholme, Hull
McCain Foods, the UK’s largest manufacturer of frozen potato products, and social enterprise, Community Shop, celebrate the second anniversary of the Community Shop Eastfield.
The North Yorkshire shop is fully funded by McCain through product donations which have reached a total value of over £2.3 million since its opening in 2023.
The Eastfield 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 – turning potential food loss into vital community support. 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, Community Shop has made a significant impact:
- Over 1,600 community members have engaged with the Community Hub
- Over 5,900 hub courses and cookery clubs have been completed by members
- The store has supported over 7,300 people in the community
- Members have saved over £1.8 million on their shopping
- Community Kitchen has served over 20,000 free kids’ meals
As McCain celebrates the two-year anniversary of the Eastfield shop, the company 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 11th December. 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 over 3 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 that in only 2 years has helped over 7,300 people, served more than 20,000 free kids’ meals, and saved the community over £1.8 million. The impact of the store, hub, and kitchen speaks volumes, and we’re delighted to further strengthen our partnership with Community Shop through the opening of the new store in Hull next month.”
Gary Stott, Executive Chairman at Community Shop, commented: “McCain’s support for Community Shop Eastfield is helping make a significant positive difference to local people and the wider community. Its continued commitment to provide surplus products means we’re also able to bring a new Community Shop to North Bransholme, and extend the support we offer through our Store, Hub and Kitchen, helping people to develop their own capabilities and deliver a positive future for themselves.”
The store is located at Community Shop Eastfield, Eastfield Community Centre, High Street, Scarborough, YO11 3LJand is open from 09:00 to 16:45 weekdays, from 09:00 to 14:45 on Saturday and is closed on Sunday.
Community Shop North Bransholme is located at Community Centre, Lothian Way, Hull, HU7 5DD and is open 09:00-17:00 weekdays, 09:00-15:00 on Saturday and is closed on Sunday.
To find out more, visit www.companyshopgroup.co.uk/communityshop.
