Award-winning affordable food scheme to open in Warrington
The Bread and Butter Thing - one of the UK’s leading community food organisations - is bringing its innovative affordable food service to Warrington in partnership with Warrington Food Network and Warrington Borough Council, with support from key funders The Lyons Trust and The Purslow Trust. The project will launch at Latchford Community Hub at St Margaret’s on Lindley Avenue on 12th November providing access to low cost food plus a programme of wraparound services offering the likes of financial, employment and health support.
For just £7.50, TBBT members’ shopping bags are filled with a minimum of £35 worth of items made up of quality nutritious food. Each week members access three bags of produce including fresh fruit and veg, chilled goods for the fridge, as well as cupboard staples such as pasta and cereal. Families can use their NHS Healthy Start vouchers and low cost period products are also available.
The service is created from surplus food: the sorts of produce that often ends up going to waste because it’s wrongly labelled or there is simply too much of it. TBBT is expert in working with supermarkets, factories and farms in providing a reliable service to redistribute these surpluses - helping reduce their environmental effects whilst increasing their positive impact in communities. As a result, the food available varies from day to day and week to week offering TBBT members plenty of variety and the chance to try new foods.
With its community-centred focus, the charity supports other vital local work and works to provide wrap-around support with experts in other areas such as debt counselling, housing advice, mental health support and grant applications.
Mark Game, TBBT Chief Executive explains: "TBBT is about creating routes out of poverty and creating resilient communities. Our members tell us that over 80% of them have previously had to skip meals to feed their families. By using TBBT, most save £25 a week on their food budgets with the added benefits of better quality and a bigger variety of food. This leads to healthier lifestyles and puts money back in people’s pockets. We also build bespoke eco-systems of support for each hub, bringing in experts to offer help and advice in everything from housing to health, ensuring that we are maximising people’s opportunities locally. And the icing on the cake is that we save tonnes of surplus edible food from going to waste. It's a win/win solution for communities and the environment."
Warrington Borough Council’s Cllr Maureen McLaughlin said: “We’re very pleased to be able to work with Warrington Food Network to bring The Bread and Butter Thing to Warrington and support local families who are struggling with food insecurity. We know that many people locally are struggling to meet rising costs so access to affordable food is more important than ever.”
Caitlin Bold, Warrington Food Network Co-ordinator added: “Since our inception just five months ago, the Warrington Food Network has been working to co-ordinate and develop food support locally. We are excited to be able to support The Bread and Butter Thing’s launch in Warrington, expanding access to good quality, nutritious food at affordable prices and welcoming a project into the network which will complement the existing community food support available.”
Within the last year, TBBT has doubled its reach from its Trafford origins. A second TBBT warehouse opened in County Durham in November 2020, new vans have taken the fleet to 13, and over 50 hubs are now operational across the North of England including 16 in the North East and 36 in the Greater Manchester area.
"We are thrilled to be the first Hub for this project here in Warrington. As a community Latchford will benefit greatly from this project as we have many working families who will save money. Working with other providers is key to supporting people and this partnership will help so many people," concluded Michelle Hayes, Community Centre Coordinator for St Margaret's Community Partnership.
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 contact TBBT by email at hello@breadandbutterthing.org or text 07860 063304. There is also a sign up form and more information at www.breadandbutterthing.org/contact. Once registered, members receive a weekly text offering the food service which they can then collect at 1.30pm every Friday.
The weekly service launching on 12th November at Latchford’s Community Hub, St Margaret’s, Lindley Avenue, Latchford, Warrington, WA4 1QB
Want to help?
The service is reliant on the dedication and enthusiasm of its volunteers, with over 300 people giving their time each week to the charity which won the Queen's Award to Voluntary Service last year. Anyone interested in volunteering - at the new hubs, the Trafford warehouse or as a driver - can find out more and get in touch through TBBT's website www.breadandbutterthing.org.
Warrington Food Network
The Warrington Food Network was founded in 2021 and encompasses community groups, charities, faith groups and public sector representatives who are coming together to tackle food insecurity across the borough.
We aim to build partnerships, share ideas and best practice, and develop sustainable short and long term solutions to support the community and ensure local people have access to a sufficient quantity of nutritious, affordable food.