Praise for Hartlepool scheme which has helped hundreds fight food poverty

Hartlepool Borough Council’s finance and policy committee was provided with an update on work undertaken with The Bread and Butter Thing at its latest meeting.

The scheme went live in January and residents involved receive a week’s worth of fresh food and other essentials in return for a nominal membership fee.

The model is based on a similar scheme developed in Manchester, which provides three bags of food, including chilled produce, fruit and vegetables and store cupboard items, with a normal retail value of at least £30 for around £7.

The service began at Community Hub Central and has now expanded to five locations over five days per week, with between 50 and 85 people accessing each session.

Independent councillor Shane Moore, the council leader, said: “Having the ability to engage with a scheme like this, where people feel like they are able to pay their way, is really, really important to them and it helps their self-worth and their confidence as well.”

Labour councillor Pamela Hargreaves paid tribute to everyone involved with organising and volunteering for the scheme, adding: “What is brilliant is that we’ve got this scheme and it’s successful and it is self-funding and it is carried on.”

The cost of implementing this model is £125,000 for the first year although after 12 months it is self-sustaining with no further investment required from the council.

Council officers added the scheme has been signposted to residents who could benefit by organisations working with the most vulnerable and then through word of mouth.