I’m not being funny but… The Trussell Trust counted 35 food banks in this country in 2010. In 2019 there were more than 1,300, and there’s probably far more now. We’ve become a nation of food banks and it’s not something to be proud of. We should be proud of the people who keep the food banks going, of course. The people who work tirelessly to ensure families have food to put on the table. But we’re not supposed to have so many and I bet you any of the people who contribute to keeping these food banks going will say the same thing.
I’m not going to go into the politics of why so many people are struggling right now, but for one reason or another, from austerity to Covid to inflation, here we are. In a position where food and bare essentials have become unaffordable. Butter is going for £6 a tub, fruit and meat are more expensive than ever.
Despite all this doom and gloom, there are always people out there trying to make a difference, to make this world a better place, and that’s what I’m getting at today. I take the same route every morning on my walk around Pimlico. Every morning I would walk past this chalkboard outside a door going down a staircase. Well, last week I finally decided to check out what it was and that’s how I met Danny Barnes, the chief executive of Shop and Donate and The Social Supermarket.
The Social Supermarket is a concept on the rise and in London is owed in no small part to Danny and his team. In March 2020, at the height of the pandemic, he decided to quit his job and start helping people in need. Shop and Donate was created to help support food banks and key workers through customers’ contributions. Since then the organisation has helped more than a million people and the idea is becoming more and more popular.
Despite all the doom and gloom there are always people out there who are trying to make a difference
As Danny predicted, a cost-of-living crisis would come into play and with that a lot of people are struggling. As incredible as food banks are, social supermarkets allow for a community space where people can buy affordable items up to 70 per cent cheaper than standard retailers, they can continue to feel close to their community without the stigma that surrounds receiving donations.
Don’t get me wrong, there is no shame in asking for help, EVER! But it can still be difficult for some to do so and that needs to be acknowledged. At the moment the Social Supermarket gets two deliveries a week from partners and the community including Amazon (mostly still evil but kudos to them for helping), Too Good to Go, and items straight from the food suppliers. They then do eight collections a week for those in need helping 500 people in the local community each week.
They even provided courses via Zoom during the pandemic to help people cook and use the ingredients in the most efficient way possible.
So I’m thrilled that they’ve secured a five-year lease for a commercial unit in Victoria that from September will be a community hub, garden cafe and shop.
It’s great to see initiatives like this in London and I’m glad there’s so much activity happening for one another despite all the division people still sow. With the sheer amount of food wastage we experience in this country, seeing initiatives like this thrive is not only good for the community but it’s good for the environment too.
There are a number of social supermarkets around London now, you have apps like Too Good to Go helping beat wastage and even Uber Eats is doing half-price fruit and veg on Mondays.
Not to mention the fact that supporting your local markets helps small businesses but is also more environmentally friendly and cheaper than high street supermarkets.
Whether you’re staying in or heading out, take that extra minute to research which way you shop is best for you and your community.
See you next Wednesday.
Track of the week: Twisted — Jude Moore
