Our social impact
As a social business, we work to change lives for the better, reinvesting our profits to further our mission. Here’s what we’re aiming to achieve and how we measure our success.
Social Impact Review 2022-23As a social business, we work to change lives for the better, reinvesting our profits to further our mission. Here’s what we’re aiming to achieve and how we measure our success.
Social Impact Review 2022-23People all over the UK are facing challenges including poverty, food insecurity and health inequality, exacerbated by the cost-of-living crisis. And in the wake of the pandemic, social isolation is on the increase. Meanwhile, many businesses want to deliver meaningful social impact for the communities on their doorstep – but don’t know how.
Cook for Good was created to tackle both of these issues. At its heart is a clear mission: To bring businesses and communities together for the benefit of both, using cooking and food to tackle poverty, encourage healthy eating, develop new skills and build lasting connections.
We are based at the Priory Green Estate in Kings Cross, where we are delivering a wide-ranging community programme. This includes a surplus food pantry, free cooking classes for all ages, and isolation-busting community meals. We are also piloting a micro-enterprise project, Cook for Good Soup, and are training groups of residents in catering and hospitality skills to help open doors to employment.
This work is largely funded by our popular corporate team building events and supported by our corporate social partners and funders.
To assess whether we are delivering against our mission, we’ve created some key output and outcome metrics. Outputs include the number of residents attending cooking classes, the amount of surplus food we distribute, and how many community meals we produce.
Target outcomes include helping residents reduce food shopping costs at the same time as developing cooking skills, supporting healthier eating habits, reducing isolation and building community cohesion (measured through regular surveys).
We will continue to explore how we can create further impact within our community, as well as sharing what we’ve learned with other community groups. In the meantime, we’ll share our progress every year with a social impact review.
Social Impact Review 2022-23“There’s a reason why the kitchen is the heart of a home. Cooking is a way to show that you care, and to connect with the people around you. Cook for Good does this on a large scale, bringing businesses and communities together through cooking to change the lives of everyone involved.”
If you would like to help us deliver hands-on social impact, we’d love to hear from you. Take a look at the ways you can support us.
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