Our Story

We are Community Share, a small charity with a BIG heart.

Its amazing what a simple group text can achieve….

In March 2020 just before the UK went into lockdown a conversation between strangers on WhatsApp snowballed into an emergency Covid food relief scheme that reached thousands across Dorset.

Combining passion, experience, and a willingness to adapt and improve, the Dorchester Community Kitchen was born. 

Having provided support for both our rural and urban communities, through a fair and simple referral scheme, anyone who needed help got it, the overwhelming success of the Community Kitchen proved we had tapped into something incredibly important, and we knew we needed to grow and become something even bigger and that something is Community Share, a space to come together, support and nurture out communities and build links to create access to the things we all need

# Together we are stronger

The History

Launched in March 2020 as a response to the potential critical impact COVID-19 would have to the most vulnerable in our community, a group of volunteers set up a food donation drop in a local church, within days we had 50 referrals for food boxes from people who were self- isolating, had lost their job, were caring for someone vulnerable or where vulnerable themselves.

The Stats

  • Essential food and hygiene boxes to over 2500 individuals, spread across Dorset.
  • Over 50% of our boxes are to carers or young families
  • A team of pickers, packers, community organisers and delivery droppers based all over Dorset
  • A network of local producers, reducing food miles, opening up access to services and supplies.

A sustainability plan with inclusivity at the heart of

The Future

Community Share stands on simple values, standing on innovation, community, integrity, sustainability, inclusivity and ethical.

 Bringing together all the best bits of who we are and where we live, combining the support the knowledge, the skills and the passion that we have in abundance we have here in Dorset.

Community Share provides everyone with access to a variety of projects and networks, from local food boxes and premade meals for those that need a little extra help, to collaborative workspaces, growing clubs, seed libraries, and much more. While food is our heritage there  will be a large percentage of new and exciting activities for the community.

Communities are at their best when they come together, and We’d love you to come with us and help create something exceptional for us all.

To find out more about us please click here >