On October 1st we published our third fundraiser cookbook – Secret Dishes From Around the World 3! This project was the biggest and most ambitious fundraising project that our team has ever taken on, but we are so proud of the finished result.
How it Began
The book began in early 2021 with our ‘Back the Book‘ Crowdfunder campaign. Over 35 days, we exceeded our all-or-nothing funding target by over £1,500! With this backing behind us, we were able to enthusiastically continue the project, working alongside our 20 partner arts charities.
These charities all provide vital arts support in their respective communities, and they facilitated the creation of the artwork for Secret Dishes From Around the World 3.
Each arts organisation commissioned an artist (or a group of artists) of their choice. The artists were then assigned one of countries that features in the book and their work prefaces the section for each country. Each artist interpreted the brief differently; some studied the traditional art of the culture that they were representing, others chose to focus on their personal links with the culture.
Thank You to Our Partners
Our 20 partner arts charities are all located in towns and cities where we are establishing Bounceback Food delivery teams. Although lockdown made it impossible to travel to these locations, our collaboration with the artists allowed us to make meaningful connections all across the UK!
We would like to extend a huge thank you to Able Arts from Edinburgh, Absolutely Cultured from Hull, Accessible Arts & Media from York, ActionSpace from London, ArtsEkta from Belfast, ArtWorks from South Yorkshire, Arty Folks from Coventry, Bazooka Arts from Glasgow, BLACK* Artists on the Move in Bristol, the Family Arts Campaign in Sunderland, Homotopia in Liverpool, Pedestrian in Leicester, Pyramid Arts in Leeds, Rocket Artists in Brighton, The Art House in Sheffield, The Biscuit Factory in Newcastle, The Gap Arts Project in Birmingham, Women’s Art Association Wales in Cardiff and Venture Arts in Manchester.
Each of the artworks has a distinct style and the wide variety of art complements the wide range of cuisines. Every section of the book is filled with colourful illustration and equally colourful food!
Why This Book Matters
With the money that this book raises, we plan to :
- Purchase new cookery equipment to help establish delivery teams in new locations so they can teach people how to cook, provide free hot meals and establish foodbank drives.
- Produce a second series of our podcast, Share Your Secrets, to hear from the artists involved in the production of Secret Dishes From Around the World 3, the arts charities they’re supported by and people from the featured countries.
- Increase the size of our team in central Manchester so we can speed up the training and development of new delivery teams nationwide.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, the demand for foodbanks increased as UK poverty levels rose. Our response to the pandemic included donating all of our stock to foodbanks, adapting our catering service to deliver meals door to door and pledging 5 million free licenses, which helped us to support people across the UK.
By distributing meals, teaching people how to cook and providing access to our Cooking & Nutrition Portal, our Community Cookery School continues to lead the fight against food poverty on multiple fronts.
The money raised by Secret Dishes From Around the World 3 will allow us to scale up our mission, and help fight food poverty across the UK!
