Council tackles food insecurity with more food clubs in the region
Food redistribution charity, The Bread and Butter Thing (Bread and Butter) has opened two new food clubs in the Staffordshire area during the past week, funded by East Staffordshire Council.
The new additions will run alongside the two hubs already in operation, bringing fresh, healthy affordable food to the area’s lower income communities.
The new hubs can be found at Waterside and Burton operating every Thursday from 2 to 2.30 pm. All new members who register in the first three months of the hub opening will receive their first Bread and Butter shop for free.
They are located at;
- Burton-on-Trent DE14 2ED (Register as a member by 21st April 2025 to receive your first shop for free).
- Waterside Community Centre, Burton-upon-Trent DE15 9LF (Register as a member by 26th April 2025 to receive your first shop for free).
Funded by East Staffordshire Borough Council, Cllr Simon Slater, Cabinet Member for Communities and Regulatory Services, said: “Following the success of the Uttoxeter hub, I am pleased to see two more hubs opened in Burton upon Trent.
“These hubs offer East Staffordshire residents fresh and healthy food at budget-friendly prices and I look forward to seeing how they grow going forward. As a Council, we are committed to supporting residents with the cost of living.”
Bread and Butter’s chief executive, Vic Harper said: “We’re all about helping food budgets go further so we’re really pleased to have the opportunity to support more communities in East Staffordshire.
“The Bread and Butter Thing is about reducing the need for emergency food provision, increasing access to nutritious food and building strong communities.
“73 per cent of our members tell us that since joining Bread and Butter they don’t skip as many meals as they used to.
“By shopping with us, members save on their food budgets with the added benefits of better quality and a bigger variety of food. This leads to healthier lifestyles which frees up budget for other household priorities.
“We often get asked where our food comes from. We work closely with big supermarkets like Morrisons, Co-op and Sainsbury’s, all kinds of manufacturers and even farmers who provide us with their surplus produce. So, our members get to do their bit for the environment too by stopping excess food going to waste.”
There are no joining criteria. Anyone interested in using Bread and Butter’s affordable food clubs just needs to register as a member. To do this, text 07860 063304 with the name, postcode and hub they would like to join e.g. Waterside.
Once registered, members receive a weekly text offering the food service which they can then collect from their hub every week.
The service is reliant on the dedication and enthusiasm of its volunteers, with over 1,000 people giving their time each week. Anyone interested in volunteering can find out more and get in touch through Bread and Butter’s website.
The Bread and Butter Thing (Bread and Butter) is the largest member-based food redistribution charity in the UK, working in 135 locations across 27 local authorities from the East Midlands to North Tyneside.
They help food budgets go further by providing fresh, healthy, affordable food to their 100,000 members in low-income communities. Over the past year, this has equated to roughly 15 million meals saved and most members £25 a week.