Innovative affordable food service to launch first Yorkshire hub in Dewsbury

The Bread and Butter Thing (TBBT) is bringing its innovative affordable food service to Chickenley Community Centre on March 24 to provide access to low cost, nutritious food, as well as access to wraparound services offering advice and support on finances, employment and health.

Members of TBBT can get shopping bags filled with a minimum of £35 worth of quality nutritious food for just £7.50.

Each week members access three bags of produce including fresh fruit and veg, chilled goods, as well as cupboard staples such as pasta and cereal.

Families can use their NHS healthy start vouchers and, in support of period poverty, low cost period products will also be available.

TBBT works in partnership with supermarkets, factories and farms to redistribute surplus food. Food that often ends up going to waste because it is wrongly labelled or there is simply too much of it.

By reducing their waste, this helps to reduce their environmental effects while supporting local communities.

Mark Game, chief executive of TBBT, said: "The Bread and Butter Thing is about creating routes out of poverty and creating resilient communities.

"Our members tell us that over 80 per cent 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.”

Four additional hubs are being planned for Kirklees during 2022 and details of these will be announced soon.

Coun Paul Davies, Kirklees Council’s cabinet member for corporate services, said: “I am very excited about the partnership with The Bread and Butter Thing and the launch of the first TBBT hub here in Kirklees.

"I know that some families across our communities struggle to put food on the table and the pandemic has not helped the situation.

"This project will make a big difference to those families, not only by providing affordable, nutritious food but also by offering other kinds of support and advice.

"We will be working closely with The Bread and Butter Thing team to help make this project a success initially in Chickenley with the aim of then expanding the offer across the district.”

Joining is simple - there are no joining criteria. Anyone who would like to become a member to access the affordable food service can send an email or text to [email protected] or text 07860 063304.

Alternatively, there is an application form and more information at www.breadandbutterthing.org/contact

Once registered, members will receive a weekly text with details on where and when they can collect their produce – and the first week is free.

The service is reliant on the dedication and enthusiasm of its volunteers, with more than 300 people giving their time each week to the charity which won the Queen's Award for Voluntary Service last year.

Anyone interested in volunteering can find out more at www.breadandbutterthing.org

Details of additional hubs will be announced in the coming weeks.