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Background<\/strong><\/p>\nIn February 2014, Plymouth applied to become a\u00a0<\/span>City of Service<\/span>. Michael Bloomberg, the former mayor of New York developed the Cities of Service model to encourage people in their communities to \u201cdo their bit\u201d and to link the impact of volunteering to city priorities. Nesta, the UK\u2019s innovation foundation, backed by the Cabinet Office, announced in 2013 that it wanted to\u00a0bring Cities of Service to the UK. Local authorities were invited to bid for volunteering projects that addressed evidenced need in their area.\u00a0Plymouth was successful in receiving funding over two years to deliver two specific projects \u2013\u00a0Energy Champions\u00a0(to combat fuel poverty) and\u00a0Grow, Share, Cook\u00a0(to combat food poverty).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\u200bAt the end of the 2015-16 round of Grow, Share, Cook:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n- 23,360 meals were given to 1,611 people<\/span><\/li>\n
- 85% of participants said they have a healthier diet<\/span><\/li>\n
- 89% of participants said that Grow, Share, Cook has helped improve their cooking skills<\/span><\/li>\n
- At the peak of the project, 100\u00a0families received\u00a0free fortnightly fruit and veg boxes<\/span><\/li>\n
- 216 pots and pans were donated by Plymouth residents\u00a0in a pots and pans amnesty which\u00a0were then redistributed to Plymouth residents in need.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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