North Glasgow Community Food Initiative (NGCFI) was first established as a non-profit making organisation in June 2001 by students from Student Action for Refugees (STAR) at Glasgow University, under the name of the North Glasgow Food Co-op to respond to the needs of the then new asylum seeking community.

In the first year the project was run entirely by volunteers and in September 2002 the project received funding to take on staff to support and develop activities. The organisation then changed its name to the ‘North Glasgow Community Food Initiative’ and broadened its focus to include expanded sales of fruit and vegetable, a delivery service, an allotment project and cookery activities.

Timeline 

2001: North Glasgow Food Co-op launched to bring people together around healthy food.
2002: Glasgow City Council funds delivery service, an allotment project and cookery activities
2005: Became a Company Limited by Guarantee with Charitable Status
2006: We expanded by developing the Springburn allotment at the Springburn Gardens site

2009: Merged with Milton Food Project
2010: Work begins on Milton Community Garden
2011: Healthy Eating Royston Experience launched

2012: Adopted our Food Hub model of working with hubs in Royston, Milton and then Springburn.
2013: Milton Crunch Project CRUNCH (community-recycling-upcycling-nutritious food- composting-health) launched
2014: Springburn Food Hub launched with funding from Esmee Fairbairn foundation
2015: Memorial Garden in Milton was opened in response to local people wanting a local space to remember lost loved ones.

2016: thanks to strong partnership working, our new Royston Food Hub found a base within Royston Primary School. Including a well-equipped kitchen to run cookery classes, storage space and an office.

2017: Springburn opened a new fruit and veg barra at Elmvale Primary School

2018: Opened Royston Community Growing space at Germiston allotments

2019: St Andrew’s Methodist Church became the new base for our Milton Food Hub and from where we deliver much of our work

2020: during the COVID19 pandemic NGCFI worked with partner organisations to deliver emergency food parcels and a meal box initiative.

2021: Royston Community Pantry was launched in partnership with Spireview Housing Association.