More families in Nottinghamshire who are struggling with the cost of living are benefiting from a scheme to improve access to affordable and healthy food.
FOOD Clubs offer families a range of good quality food including fresh fruit, vegetables, meat and dried and tinned foods each week worth approximately £10 – 15 for just £3.50.
The latest FOOD Club has just launched at Bingham Children’s Centre Service. Like all the Nottinghamshire FOOD Clubs, it is supported by the national charity Family Action and funded through a grant by Nottinghamshire County Council and the Childhood Obesity Trailblazer Programme with additional funding from the district and borough councils.
There are now 18 FOOD (Food On Our Doorstep) Clubs running in every district of Notts, with more opening in the coming months. In November alone, when 16 clubs were up and running, over 1600 families (approximately 5000 people) were supported. In 2021, families saved over £150,000 on their food shopping, but this figure is expected to be much higher this year now that more FOOD Clubs are up and running.
Councillor John Doddy, Chairman of the Health and Wellbeing Board, said: “We know that people are worried about the cost of living and we know things are difficult for families. These FOOD clubs show that we are committed to Levelling Up and reducing health inequalities. We now have a FOOD Club in every district of Nottinghamshire, giving people extra support to get healthy and affordable meals for their families.”
Louise Reilly, National Food Services Operational Manager for Family Action, said: “Helping families build brighter lives is at the core of what Family Action does. Not only do the FOOD Clubs provide vulnerable families with good quality, healthy foods, they are also helping to drive down food waste and reduce social isolation.”
Ray Hames and his family have been using the FOOD Club at Harworth and Bircotes Children’s Centre. He said: “It’s saving us a lot of money. It’s very handy to have when money is tight, at least we know that we will always be able to make meals such as lasagne with the mince provided. There are times that we can’t always afford items such as yogurts. It’s definitely value for money.”
FOOD Clubs work in partnership with other local services, such as Your Health, Your Way (the county’s healthy lifestyle service) who have provided recipes to inspire families to cook healthy meals together. As some of the FOOD clubs are based within the Children’s Centre Service, families can also benefit from other support, advice and signposting to services in the local area for any additional needs.
The FOOD Clubs also help to reduce waste in the food industry. The food is provided by FareShare, an organisation that takes good quality surplus food from the food industry and redistributes it to charities, breakfast clubs and homeless shelters.
Find about more about FOOD Clubs and how to join: https://www.family-action.org.uk/what-we-do/children-families/food-club/
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