Buy Groceries & Support Your Local School
19 September 2012
Farm Direct's Food For Thought Programme
This Autumn Farm Direct trials its “Food for Thought” service – a not-for-profit service that allows parents of school children to make a substantial contribution to their local school every time that you shop at Farm Direct.
The idea is simple. For all of you who are parents of children attending a school in the Borough of Islington, we will contribute 10% of the money you spend at Farm Direct back to your school’s PTA as a donation to use as the PTA sees fit.
So, for example, if you spend £100 per month on your farm direct groceries, then we will donate £10 of your money to your local school. Imagine 50 families from one school doing that over the year: you would raise £6k, by spending money on core essentials. Not only that, you would do so in comfortable knowledge that you are supporting local smaller scale & sustainable food producers.
Your Questions Answered
How do schools apply?
Schools can apply either direct to Farm Direct (info@farm-direct.com), or through Rohan Knox of Social Entreprise The Garden Classroom (rohan@thegardenclassroom.org.uk) . We will register the school as a participating school in the “Food for Thought” Service. Registration is free.
How do parents register?
Parent should apply to join the scheme directly with Farm Direct (they will need to register at www.farm-direct.com, and give details of the school at which they are parents. Farm Direct will then get confirmation from the school of the parents, from which point, all orders placed by the family will qualify for the Farm Direct donation to the PTA).
Who funds the donation?
The donation is fully funded by Farm Direct. The price that the parents pay is exactly the same as for all customers of the farm direct service, and equally the participating farms & food producers will receive just the same price for the products that farm direct buys of them.
How often will funds be paid & who decides how it is spent?
Farm Direct will pay all donations each month to the participating school’s PTA, and how those donations are spent will be at the discretion of that PTA.