The Isle of Wight Council, FareShare UK, Red Funnel and Southern Housing are working together to boost a lifeline scheme helping Islanders struggling against the rising cost of living.
Food charity FareShare UK are supporting the council’s connect4communities programme by delivering a weekly supply of fresh fruit and vegetables, canned and dried food as well as other essentials to the Island’s community pantries.
The charity works across the food industry to get good quality, nutritious surplus food — that would otherwise go to waste — to nearly 9,500 charities and community groups across the UK.
Meanwhile, Southern Housing Group has underlined its commitment to supporting residents amid rising energy prices and inflation by making a generous £10,000 donation towards future transport costs.
Claire Martin, regional manager (Southern Central) at FareShare, said:
“We are thrilled to be able to deliver good quality surplus food to charities and community centres that we work with on the Isle of Wight, at a time when the increases in the cost of living are having a disproportionate impact on those already struggling to make ends meet.
“We are incredibly grateful to the support from Red Funnel for supplying their ferries, and to the generous donation from Southern Housing Group, to help vulnerable communities get access to the food they need.”
Mark Meredith, community partnerships and projects manager at Southern Housing Group, said:
“Providing funding and working as a collective means we are able to strengthen the support for both the Island’s, and Southerns, residents.
“The current economic climate and the cost of living crisis is affecting so many people now, and times are incredibly hard.
Councillor Debbie Andre, Cabinet member for children’s services, added:
“We want to say a massive thank you to FareShare, Southern Housing Group and Red Funnel for their support for our community pantries. This is collaborative partnership working at its best.
“They can then start their first shop, paying £5 a week for a minimum of £15 worth of groceries. Members can also be signposted to other support services that may be able to offer additional support.
“It couldn’t have come at a more appropriate time, particularly for families over the summer holidays. I’m sure that this initiative will be a great help to our Island residents.”
Just a packet of rizlas bit of bud and voucher for a Big Mac likely considered essentials by vast majority
and…….?
What point are you trying to make ?
I guess the point windy is saying is that many who will claim this do so because they prioritise what they see as essentials being drugs, and take away junk food, then whinge they can’t afford to feed those children they have deliberately bought into the world, expecting the state (us) to pay for them as well.
And he is right in most cases.
Glammed up women who have had children, but a world away from a real Mother, who would, as the father should, put their children’s needs first, not last.
Too many try to dress, have nails and makeup imagining they are mini-celebs, but have to rely on food banks, and state aid to feed their numerous brood, live in rent free homes and pay no council tax.
Most upmarket….. not