McCain opens new Community Shop

McCain Foods and Community Shop have opened a new store in Eastfield, North Yorkshire.

Sir Robert Goodwill MP and special guests from the community joined the frozen potato specialist and the social enterprise that redistributes surplus food and household products to officially open the doors.

The store, which was opened on Friday 4 August and is funded by McCain, will support hundreds of people in the community. It is the 12th in Community Shop’s network of social supermarkets, which provide local people the opportunity to access deeply discounted products, as well as learning and development programmes.

These programmes offer a mix of skills training and personal mentoring and have supported tens of thousands of people over the last 10 years.

Items sold at the store have been donated by major retailers, brands and manufacturers. The products have been deemed surplus and may have otherwise gone to waste.

Revenue raised in the store will be reinvested back into the local area through the store’s Community Hub, which will offer personal development programmes tailored to the needs of each member. The programmes range from cookery clubs and home budgeting, to interview skills and business courses.

The store will also house a Community Kitchen, offering low-cost wholesome hot meals, with children eating for free every day.

Jillian Moffatt, regional president GB&I at McCain, said: “We’re delighted to celebrate the opening of the new Community Shop in Eastfield - a place where McCain GB has called home for over 50 years. We’re proud to be partnering with Community Shop to bring this invaluable service to our local community and look forward to supporting it for years to come.”