eleven10creative dishes up ‘recipe bags’ boost for Black Country Food Bank

Black Country Food Bank (BCFB), which has been supporting individuals and families in Dudley, Sandwell, Walsall and Wolverhampton since 2006, is looking to breathe new life into the standard food parcel that people get when they are in crisis.

The ambition of the initiative is to use non-perishable food items to create healthy and nutritious meals, providing an easy-to-follow guide to creating up to 20 meals.

It has turned to eleven10creative to help it design the cards, with the agency also stepping in to provide engaging videos that give users a visual demonstration of how you cook the food in order to make a meal for four people.

All of this has been done ‘pro bono’ as part of the company’s annual £5000 commitment to support BCFB.

“We’ve just handed out our 1000th recipe bag through schools and our network of 26 food banks,” explained Jen Coleman, CEO of the Black Country Food Bank.

“They’re proving popular, as not only are we giving out food, but we’re actually giving people the right information on how to put a variety of meals together, from chilli con carne and chicken casserole to fish cakes. Importantly, each recipe bag provides all the ingredients to cook a nutritious meal for a family of four.”

She went on to add: “eleven10creative has really brought things to life with its colourful branding, easy-to-read cards and, through a simple scan of a QR code, giving users access to a visual walk through of the recipe.

“We are trying really hard to take away the stigma that has sometimes been associated with using food banks and being able to present our messaging in a creative way - whilst giving people the skills they can use time and time again - is a really important step.”

Black Country Food Bank is committed to helping vulnerable individuals and families in crisis through the provision of three days of emergency food supplies whilst a long-term solution is developed.

Through a network of 26 food banks and more than 300 volunteers, the charity provides vouchers to local organisations and agencies who encounter people in hardship.

The impact of BCFB has increased in line with the rise in the cost-of-living crisis, with more than 43,000 people supported and nearly 550,000 meals provided – that works out at nearly 63 meals every hour for the entire year.

Steve Watson, Founder of eleven10creative, picked up the story: “We are an agency that is passionate about our Black Country roots, so when the opportunity came up to support a fantastic local charity we jumped at the chance.

“By elevating the Black Country Food Bank brand and, by using our experience of marketing and execution of the latest digital techniques, we have been able to improve the organisation’s storytelling whilst also boosting stakeholder engagement to increase donations and financial support.”

He continued: “The recipe bags have been a really important project, and we’ve tried to bring them to life by creating colourful ‘recipe’ cards and a series of video ‘cook throughs’. This means anyone can access them through YouTube or by scanning the QR code to see a step-by-step demo.”

Sarah Coyle, Marketing Officer at Black Country Food Bank, added her support: “Our charity has existed for 19 years, and this has is the first time we have had experts guide us through the most effective way to share our story.

“The support we have received from eleven10creative has been invaluable since I took on the role of Marketing at Black Country Food Bank. In addition to designing our annual Easter, Harvest and Christmas campaign graphics, they have taken the time to work collaboratively to create a new design style for the charity, enhancing the brand visibility and bringing our vision to life.”

She concluded: “Working together has been a great example of how a fast-growing small business and charity can leverage each other’s talents for the good of the community.”

For further information, please visit www.blackcountryfoodbank.org.uk

More details on eleven10creative can be found at www.eleven10creative.agency