Nourish Hub Social Impact Report 2024
Highlights & Key Findings
Nourish Hub is one of UKHarvest’s main customer-facing operations, offering the daily community kitchen in Shepherd’s Bush, West London. There are also regular breakfast clubs, a monthly community supper and a range of educational offerings to adults and young people in the Hammersmith & Fulham area. Due to the interactive nature of Nourish Hub, and an ongoing need to reflect on practise and services accessibility, a social impact review was conducted called ‘Our Hub, Your Voice’ giving all users of the space and services a chance to give feedback on how the Nourish Hub is used, what impacts the hub has on the community it supports, and how UKHarvest and Nourish Hub could ensure that the needs of the community are being met through diligent assessment of what has taken place since opening in 2022.
During an extensive seven-week period, between 18 March and 3 May 2024, UKHarvest conducted a comprehensive assessment of the social impact that is experienced by the residents and volunteers who engage with Nourish Hub and its services. This data was collected by a combination of questionnaires, individual interviews with residents and volunteer-led focus groups; the project was designed using a cohesive five-point ethical framework. The guiding principle for this project was stated throughout, on promotional fliers and information sheets: “Nourish Hub belongs to everyone who walks through its doors.”
We would like to thank everyone who has taken part in the report.
Key Findings
Our residents and volunteers highlighted three key positive impacts from their engagement with Nourish Hub:
Improved Access to Food
Healthier Diet
Greater Social Connection
Highlights in Numbers
agreed that Nourish Hub has helped to ease financial pressure.
agreed that it has provided food that they can’t otherwise afford to buy.
reported that their intake of nutritious food had improved since their first visit
of residents reported that they had met new people.
of volunteers reported that they had met new people.
Improved Access to Food
Nourish Hub provides residents with access to nutritious food at a time when many are struggling with the increased cost of living. Services include a “pay as you feel” lunch service, breakfast clubs and surplus suppers.
We found that people directly benefit from our “pay as you feel” model: 78.9% agreed that Nourish Hub has helped to ease financial pressure and 75.4% agreed that it has provided food that they can’t otherwise afford to buy.
A key theme that emerged from the questionnaire responses was the sense among residents that Nourish Hub is a non-judgmental space and welcoming environment for everyone, regardless of ability or inability to donate.
“Thank you so much for this opportunity to meet people and socialise while eating and not feeling judged to pay a large amount for the meals.”
Healthier Diet
All food served at Nourish Hub consists of vegetarian and vegan options, using rescued ingredients to create healthy, nutritious meals. Residents reported that Nourish Hub has positively impacted their dietary health, with 70.1% stating that their intake of nutritious food had improved since their first visit.
“Before I found Nourish Hub, I just had to eat whatever I could afford or what food parcels I received. Having a menu and choosing different things each day […] I really like that about this place.”
Greater Social Connection
Using food as a medium to bring people together and combat social isolation is a key aspiration of the Nourish Hub. 82.5% of residents and 92.3% of volunteers reported that they have met new people at Nourish Hub. These responses indicate very strong outcomes in terms of the social connections being created at the Hub.
“I love the space and how welcoming it is, I love the team and what they had managed to create. I love the community and how diverse it is …”
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