We know that in the last 18-months more and more of our customers and communities have needed to visit foodbanks to help feed their families. And it can be particularly hard for families during school holidays, when they no longer have access to free school meals.
We’re in a position to provide support to local organisations through our Good Grub Club (GGC).
Did you know, our GGC provided hundreds of hot meals for families over the school summer holidays?
GGC was set up to tackle food poverty during the holidays and the social isolation from community members. During the pandemic the GGC at Home was born; recipe bags were delivered with fresh ingredients, recipe cards, cook along videos and activities for all the family (read more about it in our Community Impact Assessment).
Over the summer the club was run in Millbrook (Southampton), Whitehill and Bordon, and, for the first time, in Longhedge (Salisbury) and Clewer and Dedworth.
In Millbrook and Whitehill and Bordon, we welcomed families back, face-to-face, for the first time in almost 18 months. We also ran a virtual session. We had 53 families attend across both clubs during, with five new families signing up in Millbrook.
In Clewer and Dedworth, Achieving for Children approached the food network group to support their Summer FUEL (Feed Ur Everyday Lives) project by providing healthy lunches for children attending activities from vulnerable and disadvantaged families. So, we helped set up a virtual GGC.
Together the organisations, throughout August, provided Windsor children and families with 489 healthy lunches, 331 from our Café 1759 and 158 from Churches Together volunteers. The West Windsor Hub also purchased, packed and delivered 75 Good Grub Club at Home parcels with printed recipes and links to our you tube video instructions.
Feedback from parents who attended the programme was that it was very well received and provided children with opportunities they may not have had access to without this.
And in Longhedge, our virtual GGC was set up after 42% of residents and our partners, Wiltshire Constabulary, said there was a need for youth provision during the summer. It was part funded by Wiltshire Council, and as well as ingredients the box included activity books provided from Rocketship book store. Families joined a closed Virtual GGC Facebook group where they could access the videos and post pictures, engage with another throughout the club which was really successful.
The club was open to families either on free school meals or that struggle to meet the weekly cost of living, a lot of referrals came from the local primary school. We supported 20 families each week.
“Blown away with what's just been dropped off to us! My little boy is called Robert and one of the books is ‘drawing with Robert’ – he is beside himself with excitement! And really excited about doing some cooking for us with his sisters!”
“The girls loved chopping and cooking something new… such a good idea thanks so much.”
“Thank you so much for the lovely bag of goodies we received. We had a great afternoon cooking as a family.”
“The meals were super easy yet delicious. Really easy to get the kids involved to help too and because of this encouraged them to try new dishes!”
“My daughter has gained confidence with her chopping and helping me to operate the cooker”
We’re really grateful to all our volunteers who help support and run our GGCs.
