HUNDREDS more Tameside families in need will soon be able to benefit from an innovative lower cost food scheme to help make life more affordable.
Tameside Council has awarded a £100k grant to The Bread and Butter Thing (TBBT) – a charity that supports families on low incomes, builds stronger communities and reduces food waste by redistributing surplus food from supermarkets and manufacturers.
Each week members of the scheme are offered three bags of food – one fruit and veg, one chilled and one store-cupboard ingredients. A set of three bags costs £7.50 and the charity guarantees that the value of the bags is at least £35 – £50.
TBBT currently operates in Hattersley, its hub which opened in September 2018 and supports up to 70 families each week thanks to the committed support over 15 volunteers. The council grant – which uses money from emergency government COVID funding – will finance a new van, which will help reach over 450 further families in the borough.
TBBT will work with the council and Tameside Food Partnership to establish five new TBBT hubs in other local areas.
Tameside Council Executive Leader Cllr Brenda Warrington said: “We’re pleased to be able to work with this project in reaching more local families who are struggling, particularly during these current difficult times. It will make a real and significant difference in helping more residents make their limited budgets stretch further and improving their diets and quality of life.
“The grant forms part of our wider work with Tameside Food Partnership to reduce food poverty and increase food resilience in the borough.
“A big thank you to all the dedicated volunteers, who have worked throughout lockdown and through rain or shine, to help the scheme keep running as well as St Barnabas Church and Onward Homes for helping to facilitate the hub. I would also like to thank The Civic Mayor Cllr Janet Cooper, who has supported the scheme from the start and who has worked hard to champion the project.”
Mark Game, CEO The Bread and Butter Thing said: “We’re really delighted to be working with Tameside Council and the Tameside Food Partnership to extend our partnership in the borough and bring our affordable food service to more local communities.
“The financial savings for people using our service are significant, people eat better quality and a bigger variety of food, and we save tonnes of surplus edible food from going to waste. It’s a win/win solution for everyone and we’re looking forward to seeing our Tameside partnership develop over the coming months.”
Volunteer Maxine Woodward, from Hattersley, said: “I heard about the scheme through my daughter and as I had recently been made redundant I had the time on my hands to help. It is a fantastic opportunity to help people who are on a tight budget – it helps them to eat well, try new things and have food on their table that they might not normally be able to afford such as meat and fresh fruit and veg. It also stops waste going to landfill, so it has all round benefits.”
TBBT member Andy Millward, from Hattersley, said: “I have a large family and this scheme gives me peace of mind that there will be food in the cupboard. It has also opened my eyes to different vegetables and food that I wouldn’t normally be able to afford and we are eating healthier because of it.”
New TBBT members are always welcome – either direct through their local hub or by emailing hello@breadandbutterthing.org. For more information visit: https://breadandbutterthing.org/