An overwhelming number of customers have voluntarily come forward to help as demand for local food skyrockets. Instead of racing to stockpile, they are sharing the food supplies equally, as is the normal format of the schemes. Because members feel a sense of belonging, they trust that everyone will get their bag of food and have a sense of responsibility to their neighbours on the scheme.

Customers, who would like to help the businesses and those affected by Covid-19, have come forward to collect and deliver weekly orders on a voluntary basis to people who can not make it to a collection point (one of the many ways that Better Food Traders cut their carbon footprint is by creating accessible spaces where customers can pick up their vegetables on foot).

A survey run by Veg Box People, a Manchester-based Better Food Trader, showed that if collection points closed and the scheme couldn’t find a way to get them their vegetables, 20% of subscribers would be willing to pay anyway to support this community-led local business and 50% of subscribers offered to donate their veg to a food bank. Customers of another Better Food Trader, Local Greens, have donated over £330 worth of food to their local food bank in one week alone.