Published on Thursday 01 February 2024
A food voucher scheme in Winton has helped some of the hardest hit by rising food prices, thanks to a £10,000 BCP Council Food and Energy grant.
Sean McColm was one of 1,000 Winton households who received a voucher from Bournemouth Community Church to spend on fresh food at a local butcher and greengrocer. Using the £10 voucher, Sean could choose his own fresh vegetables, meat, fruit and eggs – items not usually found in food parcels.
Sean said: “While the tinned and packet food from the Foodbank is a lifeline, it was great to be able to top this up with fresh food as and when I needed it.
"After being homeless for a year, I am appreciative of the support from the church and others to help me get my life back on track. I’m now living in a flat and have got back into cooking, however with the cost of food going up and up it’s much harder to eat healthily. I could cook several different dishes with the voucher and was very happy to be able to invite my daughter and granddaughter for a Sunday roast."
Betty Wortley, who set up the scheme, said: “We regularly work closely with the local community to support individuals and families in need and were delighted that Armstrong Butchers and the Roebridge Farm Shop were keen to be involved. By using local traders, shoppers could get advice on the best items to purchase and how best to prepare and cook the meat and vegetables.”
As part of the BCP Council funding, administered by the Dorset Community Foundation, Bournemouth Community Church paid the traders the value of the vouchers they received. The scheme ran from July to December 2023 and the church hopes to receive further funding to continue both this and its summer voucher initiative.
Bournemouth Community Church LIFEhouse is a Bournemouth Foodbank hub, open all week from 10am to 12.30pm. For more information visit their website.