National campaign launches giving fresh, high quality food to those battling COVID-19
Borough Market, London’s world-renowned produce market, is today spearheading a national campaign to provide free fruit and vegetables to frontline workers battling COVID-19.
‘Feed the Frontline’, has initially been funded by private businesses for April 2020 and aims to run throughout the peak of the COVID-19 crisis. The initiative launches with the provision of regular deliveries of fruit and vegetables to frontline workers at four NHS hospitals in London.
Borough Market is now calling for more companies to fund the expansion across the nation with the help of the UK’s network of food markets and fruit and vegetable wholesale markets. The aim is to feed as many frontline staff as possible throughout the pandemic. Feed the Frontline will be delivering 2,000 fruit and vegetable bags to Leeds General Infirmary and St James’ Hospital.
Borough Market has initially partnered with four London hospitals – St Thomas’, Kings College Hospital, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust and The Whittington Hospital. 6,000 bags of seasonal, high quality fruit and vegetables are being packed and delivered by Borough Market trader Turnips each week. Once at the hospitals, the bags will be distributed to frontline staff by NHS volunteers. The food is accompanied by recipe cards from Borough Market chefs to inspire easy, healthy home cooking of fantastic food.
Darren Henaghan, managing director, Borough Market said: “With the UK in lockdown, we owe an enormous debt to the fantastic people of the NHS and other frontline workers battling COVID-19. They are working around the clock to save lives, care for the sick and control the spread of coronavirus. With London at the heart of the UK epidemic we want to play our part in the national effort against COVID-19 by caring for the carers – giving them fresh, high quality food to help them stay healthy and feed themselves and their families.”
“We’re asking more companies to come on board with Feed the Frontline to fund the expansion to more hospitals. Borough Market’s position as a charitable trust and a home to high quality wholesale traders means that food can be sourced cost-effectively and at sufficient volumes to make a real difference to the hospitals supported by the campaign. This will mean that the people working tirelessly to look after the nation don’t have to spend time queuing at supermarkets and can spend precious time away from work with their families and housemates.”
Sara Danesin, a Masterchef finalist who has recently returned to work for the NHS as a Staff Nurse in a busy acute medical ward at the Royal Free in Hampstead, said: “A good, balanced diet with plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables is paramount to maintain good health whilst we are under so much pressure and stress. Our shifts are so long that by the time we have finished, shops are closed or have run out of fresh produce.”
Visit feedthefrontline.uk for more information about the campaign and how to get involved. Spread the word on social media via #feedthefrontline