We run a not-for-profit veg box scheme. Find out more about it here.
In 2021 in the height of the pandemic a few residents of Moulsecoomb & Bevendean came together to organise a community veg box scheme, delivering fresh produce to households struggling to access affordable & healthy food in the midst of Covid-19 restrictions.
Once believing this project would no longer be needed when pandemic restrictions relaxed, five years later we are still here and are bigger (and better!) than ever. We realised there was a huge desire (and need) for veg box deliveries in Moulsecoomb & Bevendean and surrounding estates like Bates Estate & Saunders Park - but not any old veg box; one that provides residents with an affordable option (see below for info on our subsidised rates) as well as one that includes truly local & sustainable produce (we work with 4 local farms, an ethical supplier and a local greengrocer). We now deliver just over 70 boxes every fortnight!
Below you can find the answers to some Frequently Asked Questions and info on how to sign up.
“Thank you for the veg boxes that I've had, they were much needed and 1 thing I didn't have to worry about. Your deliveries made me feel I had some community support at a time when loneliness was felt by everyone.”
How to sign up:
There is no criteria for signing up other than living within our catchment area. Our delivery area includes Moulsecoomb, Bevendean, Bates Estate and along Lewes Road up to the border of Bear Road (please see this map). We’re afraid if you are outside that we can’t accommodate delivering further in to Brighton with the resources & funding we have.
To sign up just fill in this order form (everything is explained there) or send us an email at verylocalfoodhubs@gmail.com if you have questions that aren’t answered below.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How much does it cost?
A: We operate on a Pay-As-You-Can model, which means we have a sliding scale and YOU decide how much you can afford to pay. Starting at £5 for the super-subsidised rate. By the way - everyone gets the exact same veg box!
Q: Who can sign up?
A: Anyone in the catchment area. See this map. We offer subsidised rates for those that need them but the project can’t run without customers who pay the ‘true-value’ rate of £18 or the ‘Help-Your-Neighbour’ rate of £23.
Q: What’s the ‘Help-Your-Neighbour’ rate?
A: For those that can afford to pay a little bit extra for their box, their donation goes directly to supporting a household that is struggling and needs to access a subsidised or super-subsidised box. It’s an extra £5, but as it’s fortnightly we like to think of it as making a £2.50 a week donation to help a neighbour access fresh fruit & veg.
Q: When are the deliveries?
A: We deliver once a fortnight on a Friday, starting on the 5th of September. We aim to deliver between 10am and 2pm. If you aren’t going to be in you can tell us a safe place to leave the box. We will let you know if there is a change to the schedule with plenty of notice.
Q: What size is the box and what’s included?
A: We consider it a ‘Large’ box, enough to feed a family of four for a week. We really only offer one size, HOWEVER if you find you are wasting it because there’s too much we can downsize your box to a medium. Get in touch for more info about this.
What’s included is a tricky one as it changes depending on what’s in season. We always try to include staples like potatoes and onions, some fruit, maybe a cabbage and a leafy green etc. We love seeing what the local farms are growing and sometimes throw in a wildcard like a pattypan squash to encourage us all to try new recipes. You can check out the recipe page here for info on what the produce is if you don’t recognise it. Also have a look at our photo gallery to give you an idea of past veg boxes.
Q: Is all the produce local and organic?
A: No, we try to strike a balance between local/organic and a good variety of different items. We support a lot of households on low-income and want to make sure they are receiving good value and good quality produce. We run throughout winter (as that’s when we’re needed most) and supplying only locally grown produce would be difficult (lots of cabbage and pumpkins but not much else). So, we work with a local Greengrocer called Fruit Bowl who goes to the market and buys us the best produce for the best price, lots of it is still UK grown but obviously things like bananas will have come from overseas.
We send an email out before the delivery so you know what’s in your box and we will tell you then where the food has come from. Here are some of the local farms we have worked with:
Laines Organic Farm in Cuckfield - less than 20 miles away
Rock Farm in Steyning - less than 20 miles away
Highbarn Community Farm in Brighton - less than 10 miles away
My Little Farm in Hassocks - less than 10 miles away
Macs Farm in Ditchling - less than 10 miles away
Pitfield Farm in Hassocks - less than 10 miles away
We also work with Chef’s Farm based in Pulborough who are an ethical and sustainable supplier and who source produce from a range of local farms.
Q: Can I personalise or opt-out of certain fruits or vegetables?
A: We can only accommodate changes to the box if it is due to a health condition/allergy reason. We’re not able to do personalised boxes as over 70 boxes are packed by volunteers in a short amount of time. Please let us know if you have any allergies.
Q: But what if I don’t like certain things or I’m worried something is going to be wasted?
A: We encourage you to share with your neighbours, strike up a conversation over offering them the leeks you aren’t going to get to use. There are also apps such as OLIO which allow you to share food with neighbours that might get wasted. We also have a Very Local Food Forum on Facebook where you could post to see if anyone would like your unwanted items. Then of course there are local food projects such as the Bevendean Food Market, food bank and Junk Food Project which may accept donations of food - contact them to find out!
Q: How do I pay?
A: We send an invoice out the day before the delivery (so that’ll be on a Thursday for a Friday delivery). It will arrive from an email account called no-reply@zettle.com with the subject ‘Very Local Food Hubs’ and the first one will likely land in your junk/spam folder, so do have a look for it and get it paid as soon as you can. If you have two unpaid invoices we will contact you to let you know we will be pausing your deliveries until we hear back from you and can make a plan for clearing the outstanding amount.