Award-winning affordable food project expands to the East Midlands
· Two new hubs kick off expansion in Old Leake, Lincolnshire and Newark, Nottinghamshire
· Vital logistics support provided by local Freshlinc
· Supported by Comic Relief and Sainsbury’s funding
Award-winning affordable food charity, The Bread and Butter Thing, is opening its first hubs in the East Midlands, at the start of a significant expansion funded by Comic Relief and Sainsbury’s.
Working with local partners from South and East Lincolnshire Council Partnership, Newark and Sherwood District Council and food logistics company, Freshlinc, the charity will establish a new regional base bringing the benefits of its mobile affordable food clubs to thousands of local families, providing innovative support to people at the sharp end of the cost-of-living crisis.
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 85 locations across the north of England from Cheshire to Northumberland. Funding from Comic Relief and Sainsbury’s enables this new expansion which will see up to 35 hubs opening across the East Midlands in coming months.
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.
With its community-centred focus, 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.
Spalding-based Freshlinc have offered logistics assistance with its fleet of refrigerated trucks and state-of-the-art food storage facilities. The team will help with the transport and delivery of TBBT’s vital food supplies until the charity establishes its own warehouse locally.
Mark Game, CEO The Bread and Butter Thing said: “This is an exciting new chapter for TBBT. Funding from Comic Relief and Sainsbury’s is enabling us expand our service further across the UK. I’m delighted that we can start 2023 opening our first hubs in the East Midlands as Phase One of our plans for the year. We are looking forward to getting to know our new communities in Boston and Newark and are grateful for the amazing support that we are already seeing locally. The logistics assistance from the Freshlinc team is an invaluable bonus and we are thrilled to be launching with such strong and vital support in the region.”
Ashley Holland, Commercial Director of FreshLinc said: “Getting good quality, nutritious and healthy food to our communities is a key part of FreshLinc’s operation and we know that the cost of living is hitting families local to our head office in Lincolnshire. We want to play our part in supporting them and the wider region by offering our specialist support to TBBT.”
The first East Midlands hub will launch at Old Leake Community Centre on 1st February.
Councillors Martin Griggs, Portfolio Holder for Communities at Boston Borough Council, Cllr William Gray, Portfolio Holder for Communities and Better Ageing and Cllr Gary Taylor, Portfolio Holder for Communities and Facilities, said: “We are very excited about TBBT coming into the South & East Lincolnshire area with the launch of these award-winning hubs. There are many families across our communities who are at present struggling to put food on the table with the cost of living crisis adding even more pressure to household finances. The introduction of these hubs will make a huge difference to those families, not only by providing nutritious and affordable food but also by offering other kinds of support and advice.”
Cllr Tom Ashton, Ward Member for Old Leake, added: “Working with the Parish Council, we are pleased to be able to support Old Leake Community Hub with this new initiative coming to Old Leake. This project will make a big difference to families, and South & East Lincolnshire Council’s Partnership will be working closely with TBBT team to help make this project a success.”
The second East Midlands’ hub will be in Cleveland Square Community Centre in Newark from Monday 13th February.
Councillor David Lloyd, Leader of Newark and Sherwood District Council, said: “Food charities like The Bread and Butter Thing play a key role in our communities, helping families to access affordable and healthy food. It’s a great initiative that will support local people through a tricky winter period especially as households face financial pressure due to high energy bills and rising food costs. Already we have several amazing food clubs doing wonderful things in our communities and supporting those that are facing cost of living challenges. The addition of this food hub service will help strengthen the support on offer in the district for those who need it most.”
TBBT works in partnership with supermarkets, factories and farms to redistribute surplus food. The food, which would otherwise go to waste because it’s wrongly labelled or there is simply too much of it, is distributed across all TBBT hubs.
How to join:
Joining is simple. There are no joining criteria. People interested in using TBBT’s affordable food service need to register as members and should text 07860 063304 or use the contact form at Contact Us — The Bread and Butter Thing with their name, address, postcode and hub they would like to join. Once registered, members receive a weekly text offering the food service which they can then collect from their hub.
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.
The hubs:
Old Leake: Old Leake Community Centre, Furlongs Lane, Old Leake, Boston, PE22 9NX
Wednesdays at 2pm. Opens 1st February
Cleveland Square: Cleveland Sq. Community Centre, Cleveland Square, Newark, NG24 4HJ
Mondays at 2pm. Opens 13th February