Good Grub

Good Grub is a not-for-profit initiative dedicated to delivering nutritious fruit & veg parcels directly to the families of DEIS school children around Ireland. DEIS is a national programme that addresses the needs of children and young adults in disadvantaged communities.

A REAL NEED 

Although government school food programmes do exist, the ‘GoodGrub’ team spotted the need to supplement these deliveries with vital, fresh fruit & veg parcels to help address the growing problem of ‘nutritional poverty’. To date we have delivered over 125,000 packs, representing over 1 million meals.  With the support of the existing DEIS school lunch suppliers, we continue to provide these weekly family food packs. Because of the massive challenge facing us all with the current spread of Covid-19, the likelihood is that we will be fighting this pandemic for some time to come. It is imperative that we continue to support these families in desperate need.

Every euro donated by you goes directly to making this happen.

OUR PARTNERSHIP WITH TESCO. 

We are delighted to have partnered with Tesco in an exciting pilot which commenced in November 2021, helping us to deliver fresh fruit and veg packs to over 1000 families across Ireland as part of their  Stronger Starts programme. To help increase awareness of this need, there will be a nationwide advertising campaign running until February. This will see our partnership with Tesco provide the equivalent of over 120,000 meals to families most in need in communities around Ireland. The campaign will then continue throughout the remainder of the school calendar year, aiming to support even more families.

The Good Grub initiative is exclusively targeted at supporting DEIS School Families in disadvantaged areas. There is a strong desire from those behind the project to apply a high degree of rigour and governance to the structures underpinning the project. Our Charity Partner is Aisling Project and we follow their charity guidelines throughout this project.

To this end Good Grub has created an Advisory Group composed of experienced professionals from different industries who meet on a regular basis with a view to ensuring that best practice is maintained in all facets of the operation and governance of the project.

Acutely aware of the specific needs of this group, the initiative is organised by Denis O’Reilly – co-founder of Outdoor Spaces – and David Kelly - Founder, Disco Law.

CHARITY PARTNER.

Aisling Project is an After School Intervention organisation working throughout the community of Ballymun. They currently operate over five after-school centres across the area, working with over 140 children and young people from the ages of 7 to 16+ years. Aisling Project provides a safe and secure environment for all attending children and young people. They have always been inspired by a vision of love, care and support for each child and young person and it is the focus of everything they do. Aisling Project provides a wide range of ever expanding activities all in a welcoming, safe, caring and fun-filled environment. (Registered Charity Number CHY 14774).

A FAMILY STORY 

Stephen and his two sisters go to school in inner city Dublin. They live with three other siblings and their parents in a tiny flat near the local hospital where their Dad works as a porter. A frontline worker, he provides their only income. Because the area they live in is overrun with drug dealers and desperate users, they are afraid. They rarely go out. His two older siblings are at college now, an achievement their Mam and Dad are so proud of. Despite their lack of space, room is always made for them to study. This is a happy and close family of eight who struggle everyday. The toughest problem that they'll admit to is, putting food on the table. Just food.

The family avail of regular food parcels from the school, consisting of own-brand products, largely tinned non-perishable goods. As others stock up on fresh produce, this is not a luxury afforded to Stephen and his family, they rely solely on the contents of the packs provided. 

Everything they get from this fund will be used and spread as thinly as possible. There is no waste in this house. Not food.

While the children worry about school and college, (they can't access remote learning and the older siblings used to go to the local library for free wifi when doing their assignments), the parents are worried about the basics, food. 

Stephen and his five siblings can't engage in remote schooling because they don't have wifi but they are doing their very best with what books they have. School is very important but very hard when children are hungry. There is only one priority here. Food.

While Stephen’s story is a sober one, it is not unique as this fate is shared by many families across Dublin and Ireland. 
(The name of the child is changed but the story is real, as told by a DEIS school principal)

OUR TARGET IS €1,000,000. 

Thanks to the remarkable generosity of your donations, we are now in a position to roll this initiative out across Ireland. We are very aware that times are hard at present and finding the money to donate to a cause like this is challenging.

But we would continue to appeal to you to spare whatever you can for this vital cause. Any donation, however small will make a real difference in these families lives

IMPORTANT. 

Everyone involved in “Good Grub” is participating on a completely voluntary basis and is receiving no remuneration or other personal advantage in return. Our supply partner Glanmore Foods is procuring fresh fruit and veg from their suppliers , packing and delivering  to DEIS school families at cost. 

 A donation of €10.00 provides 2 x families with a week’s supply of fresh fruit and veg. 
A Donation of €40.00 provides 2 x families with a month's supply of fresh fruit and veg. 
A Donation of €120 provides 6 x families with a month's supply of fresh fruit and veg. 

€100,000 raised will provide 5,000 x families with a month's supply of fresh fruit and veg.

 
CORPORATE DONATIONS.
This current crisis is causing untold hardship to this specific group of families and we would ask you to join us in this important initiative by supporting us, and our other donors in delivering much needed nutritional packs to families now in need.

Through our Charity Partner, Aisling Project, all donations will receive an official receipt from Aisling Project, with details of the donation and their charity number (Registered Charity Number CHY 14774).

€5,000 will provide nutritious fruit & Veg packs to 1,000 DEIS School Families
€10,000 will provide nutritious fruit & Veg packs to 2,000 DEIS School Families
€20,000 will provide nutritious fruit & Veg packs to 1,000 DEIS School Families for a month
€50,000 will provide nutritious fruit & Veg packs to 2,500 DEIS School Families for a month.

 For any company that generously donates as above, we would be delighted to include your company name and a link to your website in the Corporate Donors section on our main website. If you are interested in making a corporate donation, please go to www.GoodGrub.ie, fill out the form and someone from Good Grub will be in touch.

PROJECT BEGINNINGS. 

At the start of this crisis, 5 tonne of fresh mixed veg was generously donated by Begley’s Fresh Produce to the O’Reilly family who took it upon themselves to make up over 1,000 family parcels. These were then loaded into the back of a van and delivered to DEIS schools who distributed to the families in need. Spotting that the need was far greater, “Good Grub” initiative was set up to support more families on a continuous weekly basis until this crisis ends. 

Supply Partner 

An Irish family business, Glanmore Foods are leaders in the supply of fresh, nutritious foods to our schoolchildren. They supply over 400 schools in the country, providing 50,000 well balanced school lunches daily. 

Glanmore Foods is procuring fresh fruit and veg product from their suppliers, packing and distributing to DEIS Schools Families via DEIS Schools.Every euro raised fund these vital fruit & veg parcels 

Everyone involved in Good Grub is participating on a completely voluntary basis and is receiving no remuneration or other personal advantage in return.

SOCIAL MEDIA 

Follow us on Social Media Channels 
Facebook: -https://www.facebook.com/Good-Grub-Feeding-families-in-need-104625037880936/
Instagram:-https://www.instagram.com/goodgrub.initiative/
Twitter:- https://twitter.com/GoodGrubDublin
LinkedIN:- https://www.linkedin.com/company/good-grub/
YouTube:- https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCN8G9CdVKepH5IbqTYEDDdA/

 

SOME PHOTOS FROM OUR EARLY DAYS