Plant-based recipe kit service, Grubby, delivered the meals to NHS staff in London to say thank you for their hard work on the frontline in the battle against coronavirus.
Grubby’s founder Martin Holden-White, 29, from Lichfield, along with his team of volunteers, Songi Bongs and Lewis Greenwood, joined forces in delivering the plant-based recipe kits for free to NHS workers in central London following a successful crowdfunding campaign on JustGiving.
Their not-for-profit project aimed to deliver 500 meals to frontline NHS staff, but that target was smashed and in total Grubby was able to deliver 910 meals.
Like many other businesses starting out, when coronavirus hit, it left Grubby, who were prototyping their service in offices, in a trance wondering what the crisis meant for them.
Its founder said they agreed “almost immediately” that they wanted to do something to support NHS staff.
It was then decided they would run a fundraiser where all the money would go towards making sure staff had good food to eat after work.
After raising over £2500, Martin and his team started to deliver the meals to two London hospitals – St Bartholomew’s and Barts Health NHS Trust on Prescott Street, in Whitechapel.
He told Oh My Goodness: “When we delivered them they were all gone in minutes each time and meant staff were able to avoid the supermarkets and cook some nice healthy food after a long shift.
“Being able to do something small for our amazing NHS has felt really positive and I hope this crisis will mean they get better taken care of in the future.”
Grubby usually stock their ‘grab and go’ recipe kits for two in office buildings for people to pick up as they leave work and each meal comes with its own unique Spotify playlist.
Hannah Crane, one appreciative staff member, said: “Oh my goodness it was delicious! I’m literally terrified of cooking because I’m so terrible at it but I managed it and I’m buzzing! Exactly what I needed after a 24 hour shift! Thank you so much!”
As the Prime Minister has started to ease lockdown restrictions, Grubby has begun to deliver in some London postcodes while ensuring they adhere to social distancing guidelines.
Martin said delivering to NHS staff was a “really feel good thing” and Grubby is now offering NHS staff 25% off all their meals as an added ‘thank you’ for all their “incredible” work.
He added: “[This] also made me think more about how we can support our local community moving forwards and we will do our best to do so.
“Once we get out of this mess I really believe surviving businesses are going to be increasingly aware of keeping their employees engaged, happy and healthy, whether they are at work or working from home.
“Grubby always set out with the intention of providing a convenient healthy perk for people at work but now it’s about more than that. Our recipe kits naturally prevent employees from needing to shop for groceries, limiting their exposure to the virus and more importantly encourage healthy cooking and eating habits whilst employees are at home, which is a great thing for everyone’s mental well-being.”
If you’d like to learn more about Grubby, you can follow their Instagram or visit their site here.
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