Louise and Philipp talk to writer and volunteer Rebecca W Morris about their partnership with Start Up Stirling
Who is Start Up Stirling?
Start Up Stirling is a charitable organisation that support people in crisis, providing foodbank services throughout the Stirling area. Around 300 people, a third of whom are children, receive emergency food from the Start Up Foodbanks each week.
They provide a lifeline to many who would otherwise go hungry, cold or fall into debt.
Why Upper Ballaird Farm has partnered up with Start Up Stirling
Louise and Phillipp believe that access to fresh, nutritious food without harmful chemicals should be available to everybody.
A recent report from the Food Foundation Tracker showed that 15% of households in the UK went hungry in January 2024. The report estimates 1 in 5 families with children went hungry or were forced to skip meals. Shockingly, since 2017, Scotland has made no progress in alleviating household food insecurity.
To add insult to injury, much of the food available to people is low in nutritional value. The vegetables we buy at supermarkets have huge hidden costs to the environment. They are needlessly wrapped in plastic, treated excessively with chemicals, and grown using agricultural equipment that leaves a large carbon footprint on the environment.
It is clear that the food system needs to change, and Upper Ballaird Farm wants to be part of changing it.
How will the partnership with Start Up Stirling work?
Start Up Stirling are moving away from the traditional food bank model, setting up relaxed Foodhubs where people can socialise. Visitors are also given more choice about the types of food they would like to eat. The goal of both the farm and SUS is that local vegetables should be accessible to anyone, regardless of their socioeconomic status.
To get this in motion, SUS has invested into Upper Ballaird Farm as a social enterprise. The farm has gone ahead and bought new machinery, meaning that they can grow staples like onions, potatoes and carrots – essential for Foodhub visitors! They also aim to provide fresh, varied types of vegetables, many of which you wouldn’t see in supermarkets.
The educational ethos of the partnership is important. The farm will run fun workshops and organise educational visits to the farm. They want to inspire and teach participants to cook simple and easy dishes using varied, good-quality, and fresh ingredients. People will have the opportunity to see where their vegetables are grown. Connecting people to the land can be as straightforward as washing the dirt from the vegetables they are about to eat!
As Philipp points out, the word “human” comes from “humus”, meaning soil. Humans derive from the soil, and relearning our relationship to it feels essential right now.
Can you support Upper Ballaird Farm with this partnership?
Upper Ballaird Farm are offering people the chance to donate directly to them, helping them grow and produce enough food for Start Up Stirling. People can sign up to donate a monthly amount, and that money will be invested directly into the food given to Start Up Stirling. That way, you will not only be supporting the aims of Start Up Stirling, but you are also supporting the incredible work on the farm.
Upper Ballaird’s partnership with Start Up Stirling
Louise and Philipp talk to writer and volunteer Rebecca W Morris about their partnership with Start Up Stirling
Who is Start Up Stirling?
Start Up Stirling is a charitable organisation that support people in crisis, providing foodbank services throughout the Stirling area. Around 300 people, a third of whom are children, receive emergency food from the Start Up Foodbanks each week.
They provide a lifeline to many who would otherwise go hungry, cold or fall into debt.
Why Upper Ballaird Farm has partnered up with Start Up Stirling
Louise and Phillipp believe that access to fresh, nutritious food without harmful chemicals should be available to everybody.
A recent report from the Food Foundation Tracker showed that 15% of households in the UK went hungry in January 2024. The report estimates 1 in 5 families with children went hungry or were forced to skip meals. Shockingly, since 2017, Scotland has made no progress in alleviating household food insecurity.
To add insult to injury, much of the food available to people is low in nutritional value. The vegetables we buy at supermarkets have huge hidden costs to the environment. They are needlessly wrapped in plastic, treated excessively with chemicals, and grown using agricultural equipment that leaves a large carbon footprint on the environment.
It is clear that the food system needs to change, and Upper Ballaird Farm wants to be part of changing it.
How will the partnership with Start Up Stirling work?
Start Up Stirling are moving away from the traditional food bank model, setting up relaxed Foodhubs where people can socialise. Visitors are also given more choice about the types of food they would like to eat. The goal of both the farm and SUS is that local vegetables should be accessible to anyone, regardless of their socioeconomic status.
To get this in motion, SUS has invested into Upper Ballaird Farm as a social enterprise. The farm has gone ahead and bought new machinery, meaning that they can grow staples like onions, potatoes and carrots – essential for Foodhub visitors! They also aim to provide fresh, varied types of vegetables, many of which you wouldn’t see in supermarkets.
The educational ethos of the partnership is important. The farm will run fun workshops and organise educational visits to the farm. They want to inspire and teach participants to cook simple and easy dishes using varied, good-quality, and fresh ingredients. People will have the opportunity to see where their vegetables are grown. Connecting people to the land can be as straightforward as washing the dirt from the vegetables they are about to eat!
As Philipp points out, the word “human” comes from “humus”, meaning soil. Humans derive from the soil, and relearning our relationship to it feels essential right now.
Can you support Upper Ballaird Farm with this partnership?
Upper Ballaird Farm are offering people the chance to donate directly to them, helping them grow and produce enough food for Start Up Stirling. People can sign up to donate a monthly amount, and that money will be invested directly into the food given to Start Up Stirling. That way, you will not only be supporting the aims of Start Up Stirling, but you are also supporting the incredible work on the farm.
Post by writer Rebecca W Morris.