Stamford warm space and food project offers help during the cost of living crisis
Help is available for people struggling to afford food and heating with the launch of two new schemes.
The Bread and Butter Thing has opened a hub in Stamford where people can order and collect groceries at a fraction of their high street price.
Also in the town, a team from George’s Food Hub, MindSpace Stamford and Art Pop Up are hosting a weekly warm space with food and creative activities.
The Bread and Butter Things allows shoppers to receive roughly £35 worth of food each week for a cost of £8.50, including fresh fruit and vegetables, chilled items and store cupboard staples such as pasta and cereal.
The Stamford hub is the first of five in the area to be funded by £152,000 from the Government's UK Shared Prosperity Fund in conjunction with South Kesteven District Council. Four more will open in Bourne, the Deepings and Grantham at a later date.
Assistant manager Nathaniel McDowall said: “We get our supplies from the stuff you hear about in the news going to waste. It comes from supermarkets, factories and farms.
“The food changes daily meaning your bags will change from week to week. Most members tell us they collect their food from us and then top up from the supermarket once they have seen what we provide.
“As the bags vary from day to day, some weeks the savings will be greater than others but you will always be paying much less than in the shops and have new foods to try.”
On the rare occasions the team doesn’t have enough food to fill three bags per order, the cost will be reduced.
Nathaniel added: “We want people to feel we are making a difference to their weekly food bills.”
The hub opened at Christ Church in Green Lane on November 23.
People can join the scheme by texting 07860 063304 with their full name, postcode and specifying that they want to collect from the Stamford hub. Every Tuesday customers will receive a text asking if they want to place an order that week. People should reply “yes’ by 10am the following day and their order will be ready to collect from Christ Church on Thursdays at 2pm.
Three order sizes are available. A family order costs £8, a large family order costs £17 and an individual order costs £5. A vegetarian option is available and payment is by cash or card on collection. Everyone who signs up before February 26, 2024 will receive their first order free.
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The Warm Space organised by MindSpace Stamford takes place on Thursday evenings at the Free Church in Kesteven Road, Stamford from 4.30pm until 6.30pm.
Volunteers from George’s Food Hub collect food which would otherwise go to landfill and turn it into a hot meal while Art Pop Up provides craft activities and MindSpace Stamford has people on hand to chat.
Sam Roddan of Art Pop Up said: “We are so happy to be part of this great community project providing a free evening meal and a creative corner. People can do whatever they choose – have a chat, bring a book, do their homework or just come and hang out in a warm, friendly space.”
Places must be booked in advance online by visiting www.mindspacestamford.com/join-in and scrolling to Family Winter WarmSpace.
