A river with a protest sign partially submerged in water, trees along the riverbank, and the Palace of Westminster with the London Eye in the background under a clear blue sky.

Making Life Affordable.

The Bread and Butter Thing.

A woman with glasses and short twists, wearing a floral dress and grey jacket, smiling at the camera while shopping for produce at a grocery store. She is holding a yellow melon in one hand and a white shopping bag in the other. Green crates with oranges and other fruits are on the table next to her.

We support thousands of families each week in over 140 community locations. Volunteers are at the heart of our operation.

79%

of members say they now
eat more fruit and veg

Colorful assorted fruits and vegetables including pineapples, bananas, apples, grapes, strawberries, tomatoes, carrots, and bell peppers on a white plate.
Red map marker pin icon with black center.
Cartoon man with a beard and mustache, wearing a gray cap, yellow safety vest over blue shirt, blue pants, and black shoes, holding a large tray of groceries including apples, bananas, lettuce, instant noodles, and cereal.
A woman smiling and holding a small watermelon at a market or grocery store, with green crates and a brick wall in the background.

Surplus food is good food

Our award-winning project is created using high quality surplus food that would otherwise go to waste. Surplus happens for all kinds of reasons.

News

The latest updates from The Bread and Butter Thing.

Featured
Families are being locked out of support as UK food prices rise
Families are being locked out of support as UK food prices rise

As national attention focuses on the food inflation and welfare changes across the UK, we’ve issued a warning that vital government support is failing to reach the families it was designed to help. The complexity, poor promotion, and disconnection between services are locking people out of schemes that could make a real difference.

Holiday support expanded to families beyond HAF eligibility
Holiday support expanded to families beyond HAF eligibility

More than 4,000 families across the UK will be able to access food and essential support during the summer holidays, thanks to increased funding for The Bread and Butter Thing’s Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) Around the Hub programme.

Singing through struggle with three jobs
Singing through struggle with three jobs

By all appearances, Colette had a stable, fulfilling life. A professional singer, vocal coach, and part-time care worker, she was raising two children in Altrincham and juggling a busy working schedule. But beneath the surface, she was facing a financial crisis that would reshape her life.

  • “In April, my husband ended up out of work so obviously we’ve been short of cash. The Bread and Butter Thing has been absolutely fantastic. At the supermarket, it would cost us £130 for the week for all five of us and that’s doing it on a budget. I come here and we get five or six bags for £15 of shopping and we only have to go and get a couple of extra bits then. It’s cut our shopping bill to less than half.”

    Sholver Hub Member, Oldham

  • “I love trying new foods and can now meal plan again.”

    Latchford Hub member

  • “Every week I come and its made a massive difference. Usually I could spend over £100 on shopping just for three people and now I might spend around £30 in a week, and the meals wouldn't be half as healthy as they are. It's not only that, you get to try different things like avocados, which I’ve never had before, and mangoes – different things that you wouldn't generally buy because they are expensive.”

    Sholver Hub Member, Oldham

  • “The money I save here means I can afford to switch my heating on, and that’s the difference it makes.”

    Margaret, Tameside

  • “Part of my job is to give patients the options available around the wider determinants to their health and we should all have access to food that provides a healthy and diverse diet for our physical and mental wellbeing. I first found out about TBBT through a friend and went along to experience it for myself. It’s absolutely phenomenal and a much needed service throughout the area. I especially love that nobody is excluded from gaining access to this service – it’s not means tested and it’s really simple to join.”

    Emma Spencer, Social Prescribing Link Worker, NHS

  • “The bags were amazing. I ended up with so many meals and treats – we even tried new things that we loved as a family.”

    Latchford Hub member

  • "The Bread and Butter Thing has been a brilliant thing for our community. When our first hub location closed, we were determined to keep TBBT here as we were getting so many requests for help. So we formed a special group to manage it out of Westy Community Centre and we’re so pleased we did. The demand for food support locally just keeps growing and TBBT is making a big difference. We’ve hosted a Warm Hub too and it’s been lovely having members come early for a chat and the chance to meet and make friends. There’s a great sense of the community coming together each week."

    Naomi Wright, Hub Leader, Westy Community Centre

Latest from the podcast

‘A Slice of Bread and Butter’ tells the stories of the people that make Bread and Butter what it is and about life in our communities.

Featured
Community Catalyst: How Food Creates Transformation
Community Catalyst: How Food Creates Transformation

"It's not just the food—it's reinvigorating community spaces." These powerful words from Paul Harris, headteacher at Carhill Community Primary School in Gateshead, capture the transformative impact The Bread and Butter Thing has had on his community in just three short weeks.

Financially Stuck: The Hidden Struggle of Working Families
Financially Stuck: The Hidden Struggle of Working Families

What happens when a healthcare professional with a Master's degree finds herself struggling to put food on the table? Emma Vinton's story challenges our assumptions about who needs community food support in today's economy.

The Benefits Labyrinth: Tracy Finds Her Way Through
The Benefits Labyrinth: Tracy Finds Her Way Through

When Tracy moved from Working Tax Credits to Universal Credit, nothing about her circumstances changed – she was still a single mum working as a support worker on national living wage. Yet suddenly, she found herself without access to free prescriptions, dental care and glasses that she'd previously relied on. "I had emergency dental treatment more or less as soon as I migrated over to universal credit... and I had to pay for it."

Two women shopping for fruit at a produce stand, with watermelons, oranges, and apples displayed.

Volunteers

We have over 1000 volunteers working with us each week at our warehouse depots and in our community hubs.

Three cartoon characters sitting at a table with symbols on their tables representing charity, finance, and housing.

Partnerships

We regularly redistribute over 100 tonnes of food a week. That’s almost 250,000 meals. But’s not just about the food. We work in collaboration with local and national partners to bring in other expertise offering advice and practical solutions for dealing with debt, managing utilities, accessing mental health support, help with housing, employment opportunities and more.