Natalie Bellin Bransholme, Hull
Families living on a council estate say a new “social supermarket” will help them make ends meet.
The shop at North Bransholme Community Centre sells surplus food, with packs of fruit, vegetables and bread costing as little as 20p a time.
It can be used by anyone who lives in the area, receives means-tested benefits and applies for a free membership.
On its opening day this month, hundreds of people visited the store to buy food at about a third of the cost charged by most supermarkets, with bosses estimating it could save a family more than £200 a month.
Kirsty Armstrong, a mother of two, said the store took the pressure off the worry of doing a weekly food shop.
“Even though you work, it can still be really hard just to buy the simplest of things like fruit.
“I’ve spent about £6 and I’ve got bread, fruit and I am thinking about stuff in my basket that can be kept frozen.”
James Trott, 67, was one of the first customers through the doors and plans to use the shop regularly.
“It helps me out being on a pension because you’ve got your gas and electricity, water, rent and council tax to pay for and it’s really hard for everyone on the estate who is on benefits,” he said.
“I’ve just got a tin of beans for 60p, they would have been double in another shop.”
The store is the 15th of its kind to be opened across the UK by the Community Shop Group, a social enterprise.
Products are donated by food industry partners from surplus stock due to overstocking or seasonal packaging. All are still in use date.
Gary Stott, the executive chairman, said as well as supporting people in the Bransholme area, it was helping to tackle food waste.
“Surplus food does occur and we can take that in and we can relabel it and get that on sale,” Mr Stott said.
“We’ve got a retail store with 600 product lines where the average basket spend is about 30% of the retail price, and so as a family you can save £212 a month on your shopping bills.
“Even though we are a small convenience store, 30% of our basket is fruit and vegetables. That means families can come and make really healthy choices at an affordable price.”
The group said profits from the shop would be reinvested into a community hub, which aims to support members to learn new skills.
Meanwhile, a community kitchen and cafe sells breakfasts and lunches for £1.50, along with free children’s meals all year round.
Carol Redfern and her mum were among those enjoying refreshments.
She said: “To be able to come here and get quality food cheaper, it means a lot.
“My mum lives with me, she is disabled, so we are not on a lot of money.
“You can come here and have something to eat and the kids eating free is brilliant.”
Figures from Trussel, the anti-poverty charity, suggest more than 700,000 people in Yorkshire and Humber faced hunger in the past year due to a lack of money, with one in 10 people in the region living in households classed as “food insecure”.
David Daniels, who is 73 and receives disability benefits, described the community store as “a needs must in this day and age”.
“I think financially it will help a lot of people,” he said. “It takes away from food banks as well.
“People can pay reduced prices and you can get quality goods.”