Community-owned football club FC United of Manchester set up its COVID-19 Food Hub in March 2020. The move comes in response to England entered its first period of national lockdown.
The Food Hub was established in collaboration with the North Manchester Business Network and Manchester City Council to support households in North Manchester who could not access their usual help networks. Typically, they were elderly single households or those that had cases of Covid-19 in the house. The Food Hub has also become increasingly important to those in financial crisis awaiting Universal Credit payments following a job loss or those. For instance, refugees, who have lost their job and are denied access to any public funding.
During lockdown, FC United became one of the biggest food charity destinations in Greater Manchester. The Food Hub receives just under 19 tonnes of food from us between March and August. In short, that’s the equivalent to 44,645 meal portions.
“Our partnership with FareShare Greater Manchester has enabled us to massively expand our community outreach at a time when it has never been more needed. We’d like to offer our sincere thanks to all at FareShare for their help – from volunteers, delivery drivers, background staff and admin staff who have been exemplary in their support of our project. Unfortunately, we don’t see an end to the help that we will have to offer. With the continuous generous support from organisations like FareShare, we can continue to deliver help where people need it in ever increasingly challenging times.”
Vinny Thompson,
Project Leader at the FC United Food Hub
Now in the second lockdown of the year, FC United is once again seeing a surge in demand. Accordingly, they plan to reach even more families over the winter period.
You can support FC United’s Food Hub by offering your time as a volunteer. For more information, contact office@fc-united.co.uk or visit the website.
Pictures courtesy of FC United/Matt Wilkinson @stellapicsltd
Pantries and food clubs are community-driven solutions to tackle food insecurity. These initiatives offer more than just food, as they provide support and advice to members. By becoming a member, individuals can access affordable and nutritious food, as well as other benefits.
Pantries and food clubs are especially helpful for individuals on low incomes. They provide significant support to those experiencing financial difficulties. These initiatives have been developed with the goal of providing food security and reducing food waste. In addition to reducing food insecurity, they also promote a sense of community and encourage social interaction.
In 2013-14, FareShare Greater Manchester spoke with Stockport Homes. Stockport Homes sought to develop food pantry projects in areas of Stockport experiencing high levels of poverty. Moreover, FareShare GM decided to pioneer a new approach to supplying community food projects, adapting working methods to ensure pantry members could have access to a wider variety of foods than available in traditional long-life food parcels.
Importantly, members benefit from a choice of foods on a weekly basis, alongside:
The popularity of pantries and food clubs is on the rise across the region and nationally, as more and more individuals recognise the benefits of becoming a member. These initiatives have been proven to have a positive impact, as explored in this interesting assessment from Church Action on Poverty.
July 2018 – The national charity Mind runs a wellbeing service that offers counselling and training to people of all ages in Greater Manchester facing mental health issues. A core part of this facility is the Mind and Topaz Café which provides over 200 meals per week.
Fareshare Greater Manchester has been providing weekly food deliveries, inducing fresh fruit and vegetables to the Topaz Café since November 2016. The café serves all vegetarian meals to promote the positive impact that a healthy diet can have on people’s mental health.
“The food we receive from FareShare keeps the café going, the essence of the café is that people feel comfortable and supported, allowing them to talk to someone and access more support if they need it. Its an open, welcoming space for people for come and enjoy food together where no one will judge them.”
Paul Garside
The Cafe’s Manager
The Mind and Topaz Café also welcomes food volunteers to support in the food service and prep, providing work experience in the service industry whilst accessing the support that they from Mind. One such volunteer is Jenna, who is accessing the services of Mind to support her with a learning disability. Jenna said “I do the pot wash and make the salads and prepare meals. I feel that I have lost weight since I started working here as I am eating so healthily and I feel much better for it. It’s a really nice place to work and I get on with all thee people who work here, it’s a good community.”