New affordable food club comes to Stamford
· The Bread and Butter Thing affordable food club opened on 23rd November
· Running every Thursday at Christ Church, Green Lane, Stamford, PE9 1HE
· Shoppers get £35 worth of food for £8.50
Working in collaboration with South Kesteven District Council (SKDC), award-winning charity, The Bread and Butter Thing (TBBT) launched its first food club in Stamford, on Thursday November 23.
This is the first of five hubs funded by SKDC with £152,000 from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF). Details of the four further hubs in Grantham, Bourne and The Deepings will be announced in due course.
The Stamford hub is based in Christ Church in Green Lane, running every Thursday at 2pm.
Founded in Manchester in 2016, The Bread and Butter Thing operates mobile affordable food clubs, taking quality, nutritious food to the heart of some of the UK’s most deprived communities. It is currently working in over 110 locations across the UK.
At its weekly hubs, TBBT’s members access three bags of fruit and veg, chilled food and cupboard staples at deeply discounted prices, enabling them to feed their families, improving diets and saving them money for other household priorities. Heathy Start cards are accepted and low cost period products are also available.
TBBT extends the benefits of its hubs further by working with partners to provide expert advice and practical solutions in income maximisation, energy, digital exclusion and mental health support.
TBBT Chief Executive Mark Game said: “We aim to unleash the power of affordable food and use it to ignite long-lasting change in struggling neighbourhoods.
“Our members tell us that over 80 per cent of them have previously had to skip meals to feed their families. By using TBBT most save pounds on their food budgets, money which they can then use for other household priorities.
“They also benefit from better quality and a wider variety of food.
“We are delighted to be working with SKDC to bring the benefits of our mobile food clubs to Stamford with more to come across the South Kesteven area.”
TBBT works in partnership with supermarkets, factories and farms to redistribute food that would otherwise go to waste.
Cabinet Member for People and Communities Councillor Rhea Rayside said: “Sadly, many people across our District are struggling to make ends meet, but this is a great initiative that will make life a little easier for some.
“As a Council, we are proud to be supporting the work of The Bread and Butter Thing and to be providing additional support to those residents who need it most, improving local access to healthy food and reducing financial strain for them.”
SKDC and TBBT are also interested to hear from community centres, sports centres, schools and other venues across the district who may have space to host a weekly hub on their premises.
How to join:
Joining is simple. There are no joining criteria. People interested in using TBBT’s affordable food club need to register as members. To do this, text 07860 063304 or use the contact form at Contact Us — The Bread and Butter Thing with their name, postcode and hub they would like to join: Stamford. Once registered, members receive a weekly text offering the food service which they can then collect from their hub every Thursday.
Want to help?
The service is reliant on the dedication and enthusiasm of its volunteers, with over 500 people giving their time each week to the charity which won the Queen's Award to Voluntary Service in 2020. Anyone interested in volunteering can find out more and get in touch through TBBT's website at Contact Us — The Bread and Butter Thing.