More affordable food hubs are set to open in Sunderland with the aim of providing a vital lifeline for struggling families.
Three new hubs in Hendon, Washington and Silksworth are set to open in the coming weeks and will join another opened at Austin House in Southwick in December. All are being supported by Sunderland City Council and delivered in partnership with The Bread and Butter Thing. Additionally, there is a The Bread and Butter Thing hub at Pennywell Neighbourhood Centre, supported by Gentoo and Karbon Homes.
Sunderland City Council is also looking to support a further hub to open in the Coalfield area of Sunderland later in the spring. For £7.50, people who sign up to become members of The Bread and Butter Thing will get around £35 worth of food, including fresh fruit and vegetables, chilled food for the fridge, and store cupboard staples.
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The three new affordable food hubs will open at:
- CHANCE Sunderland in the East area of the city on Monday February 13
- Rainbow Family Centre in Washington on Thursday February 23
- Silksworth Youth and Community Centre in Silksworth in the West area of the city on Tuesday March 7
Councillor Linda Williams, Sunderland City Council's Cabinet Member for Vibrant City, said: "The affordable food hub we opened in Southwick before Christmas has been really popular. It's served more than 500 families in the eight weeks since it opened.
"It's already proved its worth by providing a vital lifeline to families struggling to cope with the spiralling cost of everyday essentials. So we're delighted to be supporting The Bread and Butter Thing to open three more hubs across the city in the next few weeks as part of the wider work we're doing to support our communities through the cost of living crisis. And we're hoping to open a fifth hub in the Coalfields area of the city later this spring."
The Bread and Butter Thing was founded in Manchester in 2016 and works with manufacturers, retailers and the hospitality industry to redistribute surplus food to people who need it the most. Its community vans regularly redistribute over 100 tonnes of food a week to over 80 community locations.
Councillor Kelly Chequer, the City Council's Cabinet Member for Healthy City, who is also a Southwick councillor, added: "These hubs are playing a really valuable role in helping residents who would otherwise struggle to afford healthy nutritious food to feed their families. Healthy eating is so important in protecting people against a range of diseases and conditions, so it's brilliant to see this project making such good use of surplus healthy food at the same time as providing a valuable service to our communities.
"Because the groceries are sourced from lots of different places, including wholesalers, food manufacturers and farmers, they will be different each week. But they will always include fresh, healthy fruit and veg, cupboard staples, and other everyday ingredients, so you can always be sure that you’ll save money on your shopping."
Mark Game, CEO of The Bread and Butter Thing, added: "We’re delighted to have received such a warm welcome in Sunderland and to be starting the year by launching three new projects across the city. We’re looking forward to getting know our new communities and spreading the benefits of our affordable food project to more families struggling to feed themselves and their families well and healthily."
The scheme is free to join, anyone can become a member, and there is no ongoing commitment. To sign up, text The Bread and Butter Thing with the name of the hub you’d like to join. Once you have signed up to be a member, you will receive a weekly text asking if you’d like any groceries that week. If you reply ‘yes’, your order will be delivered to your chosen The Bread and Butter Thing hub. You can choose from a top selling family bag at £7.50, an individual bag for £4 or a large family bag for £15. There is also a vegetarian option.
To find out more about the project and sign up, go here.
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