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November 20 , 2023

Author: MK Food Bank

Guest Blogger

MK Food Bank: Make Christmas a Time to Care

With 2023 drawing to a close, our small team at MK Food Bank have been reflecting on the highs and lows of this year.   Once again it’s been tough. Requests for emergency parcels are up by around 90% since this time two years ago and every week about 50 people are contacting us for the very first time. These numbers are rising all the time as people struggle to afford basic essentials and pay their bills, and the cold weather will inevitably lead to an even greater surge in demand throughout the winter.   We now estimate that over the last two years we have supported one in every 23 households in the city – at least one child in every class.

At the forefront of our thoughts this year therefore was how to get our business, school and community supporter networks together to create a fantastic fundraiser that would highlight our increase in demand and generate a huge amount of donations to support our city.

MK Can was born! And on World Food Day, Monday 16^th October, Milton Keynes witnessed a very special event.

MK Food Bank, along with over 300 businesses, community organisations, churches and faith groups, charities and schools, came together on a cold October day in Campbell Park and showed the power of community, creating the Longest Line of Food Cans ever, and earning themselves an official GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS™ title to prove it!

The continuous line started at the World Food Day pillar in the MK Rose, the city’s open-air commemorative circle, and meandered through Campbell Park in the centre of the city, culminating in a giant ‘MK’ spelt out in cans. The final count totalled 102,447 cans, smashing the previous record by well over double, and measuring an impressive 7.64km.

On the day itself, the success of the event was clear – thousands of smiling faces, a party atmosphere from end to end and our hashtag #mkcan going viral, in our biggest example of organic marketing ever.  And as well as an incredible community atmosphere, this event means we can continue to support thousands of families and individuals this winter.

But (and it’s a big but)… while over 102k cans is a huge achievement in the realms of nothing we have seen before, at current demand it won’t last long. In fact we have calculated that these cans will last us just 77 working days – and could run out as early as the beginning of March.

With this rather shocking realisation in mind, we cannot rest on our laurels, and we hope our supporter community can help us shape the legacy that follows now. MK Can was a one-off, but we are already developing plans to harness the outflowing of support demonstrated by our business community and develop many more ideas to promote our work, develop new services and generate donations to ease the cost of living crisis within our city.

There are a number of ways you can support your local food bank:

• Join our MK Can Business Supporter Committee to develop future plans and keep the spirit of MK Can alive. Contact us if you could give a few hours every other month to help, register your interest here: admin@mkfoodbank.org.uk
• Reverse Advent: Collect essential food items and small Christmassy treats throughout November and drop them to us to distribute to families in December. Latest Appeal | Milton Keynes Food Bank (mkfoodbank.org.uk)
• Wear Green for Food Bank: have a Christmas Party or dress up day at your business or group wearing your favourite Grinch jumper, Elf Socks, Christmas Hat for a food donation. Fun and festive way to support MK Food Bank. Latest Appeal | Milton Keynes Food Bank (mkfoodbank.org.uk)
• Volunteer in our warehouse: we still have a small number of spaces for corporate volunteer group until January. Up to 6 of you could help pick, pack and sort donations – it’s a great team building day and you’ll better understand how your donations support your community. Volunteer – MK Food Bank
• Fundraise: Whether Marathons, Swimathons, Quiz events or bake sales are your thing in 2024 – Choose MK Food Bank to be your Charity of the Year for 2024 and we’ll talk to you about the numerous ways you can support us! About Us | Milton Keynes Food Bank (mkfoodbank.org.uk)

We are so proud and grateful for every single supporter, student, organisation, team, business, and individual who gave cans, time and energy to support MK Can. We are looking forward to what’s next in 2024 – and hope you’ll join us.