TACKLING HUNGER, FOOD WASTE AND SOCIAL ISOLATION IN CLASE

The Clase4All group wanted to run a weekly drop-in for people from the community to get together. They decided to set up a breakfast morning, where people get a breakfast roll and a drink for £1, and can meet and chat to neighbours and friends. They used just £50 of funding to start the initiative, and the breakfast morning is now totally self-sustaining. It has grown in popularity and now has become a weekly one-stop-shop for local people - the local housing officer is available to give advice, there is a collection point for the local credit union, and the group have also set up an independent food bank.

A local resident was running a food bank from her house for families living on her street in Clase. Demand was increasing, so the Clase4All group decided to take over the food bank. They run it alongside the breakfast morning - in a relaxed, friendly environment – to remove some of the stigma of accessing the food bank. They have also chosen to run it independently from larger food bank charities, so that it’s easier for local people to access without the need for a referral or proof of circumstance. The group receive regular donations from Tesco, local churches and the local Lions Club.

The group also run a surplus food share project – collecting left-over food from Greggs and the Coop to support local families and prevent food going to landfill.