The Salvation Army in Bury has launched a food club to help people that are struggling with the cost-of-living remaining high and are being pushed into poverty.
The weekly food club, which gives access to a pantry of fresh produce and personal hygiene items via a self-selection process, takes place on Tuesdays from 11:00 am – 2:00 pm at the church and community centre on Brookshaw Street.
Operating in a drop-in style, the food club helps to combat food poverty in the local area and is for members of the community struggling to make ends meet.
Unlike a food bank, no referral is needed and the cost to become a food club member is just £5 for an annual membership.
Once at the club there is a cost of just £3 which gives the member up to 12 – 15 items of fresh vegetables, fresh, chilled and frozen food, nonperishable items and toiletries, dependent on availability.
On occasions the food pantry will also have items for pets and baby items too such as formula and nappies. The items are limited to ensure the scheme is fair for everyone attending and clients will need to bring their own bags.
Captain Cor van der Woude, church leader of The Salvation Army in Bury said:
“Unlike a food bank, the food club is run on a membership basis to give dignity and choice to its members, allowing people to make their own decisions and select the products that would suit their individual needs and tastes and those of their families at a time when prices in supermarkets remain high.
“The food club allows people to gain access to fresh food and key cupboard staples at an affordable price, providing a helping hand to the situation that many find themselves in; when their funds just aren’t stretching far enough, if there is a delay in their benefit claim or if they are just simply struggling to live with everyday costs. Sadly, we have found that people are cutting back so that they can eat. Or not eating so that they can pay bills. And those are choices that we feel shouldn’t be made.”
The food club is run in tandem with a community café at the church and community centre which offers hot and cold refreshments for just fifty pence.
The Salvation Army is working in partnership with other local and national organisations in the running of food club such as FareShare, a charity that fights hunger and food waste, Beauty Banks, a charity that supports people living in hygiene poverty, Car Benefit Solutions, a local car finance company which provides monthly food donations and the local Co-op, who provides the newspapers for the drop-in.
Captain van der Woude added:
“We have identified a lot of poverty and deprivation in this area and that there are a lot of people – hardworking people, the elderly and families – that are in big need of support. We also realised that there wasn’t a lot of food support in the area on a Tuesday and so we hope for this service to plug that gap, ensuring the people in our local community that are on the lowest of incomes are supported at all points during the week. People don’t need to struggle; we are here to help. Our community café which runs at the same time as food club also allows an avenue for support, both physical and emotional when times remain tough.”
The food club was originally run by Bury Christian Fellowship for more than 15 years
For anyone wishing to support the food club, financial donations are accepted and while donations of all sizes are welcome, people are encouraged to donate only what they can afford. The Salvation Army in Bury has a has a Just Giving page which can be found at www.justgiving.com/tsa-
