'Without food charity, we might not eat'

People who rely on a cut-price food service say they would struggle to feed themselves without it.

The Bread and Butter Thing has 111 hubs around the country and aims to make everyday essentials affordable.

The branch at Old Leake Community Centre, near Boston, supports about 70 households a week, with members paying £8.50 for roughly £35-worth of food.

Tiegan Parry, 19, who regularly uses the service with her family, said: "If we didn't have it, we probably wouldn't be able to eat."

The Old Leake hub has supported almost 850 members since it opened in February 2023.

It has also distributed about 9,400 sets of shopping, equating to more than 291,000 meals.

According to the charity, each bag of food includes fresh fruit and vegetables, chilled items for the fridge, and cupboard supplies such as pasta and cereal.

The Bread and Butter Thing is partly funded by Comic Relief.

Tiegan, from Skegness, has been using the hub for three and a half years.

"We found it when we really needed it the most," she said. "We would really struggle without it."

Tiegan, who has a three-year-old daughter, said the contents of the bags were varied and included goods she would usually avoid buying because of the price.

It eased the financial pressure on the family and meant they got to try things "we would never ever try before".

"We worry a lot less because it means that I can feed the little one and not have to worry about it," she added.

Tiegan's father Craig Parry, 50, said he enjoyed the social aspect of the hub, where the volunteers were "brilliant" and "very helpful".

"It certainly helps financially to be able to do things with my children and grandchildren that I wouldn't be able to without having the bags."

Gail Seamark, community development delivery officer for the Bread and Butter Thing, said the charity helped families to "top up" their shopping.

"I think sometimes people come down even when they may not need to financially and it is a social thing.

"They get to chat to people in the queue and we do as well."

Gail, 60, said the charity received help from food production factories and supermarkets.

She hoped this meant it was "making a dent" in the amount of food that ended up in landfill.

Cheryl Wray, 77, has volunteered at the hub for about three years and said it was good to know food was not going to waste.

The "community spirit" at the centre kept her coming through the doors.

"Everybody knows everybody and it's lovely," she added.

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