How people can get £35 worth of food for just £7.50 as new scheme launches in Hartlepool

Food surplus charity The Bread and Butter Thing (TBBT) redistributes food from supermarkets, suppliers and manufacturers that would otherwise go to waste to people on low incomes.

Working with Hartlepool Borough Council, it is to launch its first distribution centre at Community Hub Central (library) in York Road, on Thursday February 18.

Two more hubs are due to open in the town by early April and the charity has agreed to create five in total this year, each open on a different day of the week.

Councillor Sue Little, Chair of Hartlepool Borough Council’s Adult and Community-Based Services Committee, said: “We’re very pleased to welcome The Bread and Butter Thing to Hartlepool.

“Not only will it offer people on low incomes access to quality food at an affordable price – which is especially welcome during the current Covid crisis – it also means that surplus food is being used and not wasted, so it’s a great result all round.”

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The Bread and Butter Thing launched in Manchester in 2016 and has grown to over 12,000 members across Greater Manchester and the North East giving out over 100 tonnes of surplus food each week.

It is free to join and members will receive a bag of groceries containing fruit and vegetables, chilled goods and cupboard goods.

The contents vary depending on what has been donated that day.

Chief executive of The Bread and Butter Thing Mark Game said: “As the effects of Covid continue to bite, we know that more people than ever need access to affordable, quality food and we're proud to be working with Hartlepool Borough Council to support communities that need it most.

“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, and we save tonnes of surplus edible food from going to waste.

"It's a win win solution for everyone. We're looking forward to working alongside our partners in Hartlepool to serve its communities from our new regional base."

To register as members people should email: hello@breadandbutterthing.org or text 07537 416040.

Anyone who wants to volunteer at the hubs should visit www.breadandbutterthing.org

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