The 90kg rice challenge from JTS – Fair Food Fine Food, is the perfect challenge for fairandfunky, and this year we set ourselves the target to BEAT last year’s achievements. In 2014 we took on the challenge for the first time. We hosted a series of rice recipe blogs to inspire Fairtrade foodies, we led rice challenge workshops in schools in London and Holmfirth, and worked alongside Penistone Fairtrade group…….and sold 270kg of rice!
Feature in The Examiner September 2015
In September 2015 we re-launched the challenge, with the intention of completing FOUR 90kg challenges, and this year have officially partnered The Welcome Centre in Huddersfield, in an ‘Alternative Harvest’. To fairandfunky, the rice challenge is about bringing communities together and taking positive actions both locally and globally. The needs for shelter, food for families, and access to education for children remain the same for people in Malawi and in Huddersfield. The ‘Alternative Harvest’ enables people to “do two good deeds in one go”: buy rice from Malawi and donate it to people in crisis in the UK.
With pop-up shops, school assemblies and workshops we have toured Huddersfield and inspired a range of people to get involved:
Children from St. Aidan’s Primary School in Skelmanthorpe raided their piggy banks to raise enough money to buy 78kg bags of rice.
Following a week of rice challenge assemblies, students at Honley High School sold 90kg in one day, and have gone on to sell another 90kg!
And Golcar Methodist Church raised money for 32kg bags of rice for an ‘Alternative Harvest’ donation to The Welcome Centre.
The 2014 rice challenge led to a bucket full of rice being donated to The Welcome Centre. This year fairandfunky have donated a TROLLEY LOAD OF RICE! “People are in real need in Huddersfield – every week people are going hungry because they haven’t enough money to make ends meet. Last year alone we gave out over 8200 packs to more than 7700 people providing enough food for 7 days, demand has risen considerably over the last few years due to the credit crunch, welfare reform and our local economy. We’re thrilled that fairandfunky have partnered with us in their alternative harvest.” Emma Greenough from The Welcome Centre.
A sincere THANK YOU to all who donated their rice.
This donation to the Welcome Centre, alongside sales to individuals, Fairtrade support groups, churches, and schools have brought the total to 338kg of rice!
Can YOU help bring our rice challenge sales to 360kg this year? We’d love to sell more and reach our target of completing the 90kg challenge FOUR TIMES OVER! We’re asking EVERYONE to buy rice from our online shop https://www.fairandfunky.com/fairtrade-online-shop/food/fairly-traded-kilombero-rice/ , and if you enter code RICE on checkout your purchase will be donated to The Welcome Centre. Together, we can change the world.
The challenge for 2016 from JTS!
And next year? Who knows……….
Please SHARE THIS BLOG far and wide, help spread the word about the 90kg rice challenge, and maybe a LORRY load of rice will be possible!!
Tweets by @fair_funky
