Sir Robert Goodwill MP and special guests from the community, joined the UK’s largest manufacturer of frozen potato products, McCain Foods, and Community Shop, an award-winning social enterprise that redistributes surplus food and household products, to officially open the doors to their new shop in Eastfield, North Yorkshire.

During the opening event, Tracy Reeves and Chris Parsons from the Eastfield Legacy Centre cut the ribbon, officially opening the store to the local community in Eastfield.

The store is funded by McCain and 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 life-changing learning and development programmes. These unique 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. These products have been deemed surplus and may have otherwise gone to waste.

Revenue raised in the store will be re-invested back into the local area through the store’s Community Hub, which will offer personal development programmes tailored to the needs of each member.  These 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.

Local MP Sir Robert Goodwill said:

Gary Stott, Executive Chairman at Community Shop said:

“We are incredibly excited to open the doors of the brand-new Eastfield Community Shop. We know from our work across the UK that this store will have a big impact on those in the community who need it most. Community Shop goes far beyond just discounted food, with the life-changing development programmes equipping individuals with the skills and knowledge they need to focus on creating long-term positive change in their lives.”

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.”