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Sat, 21 Mar 2026

Sat, 21 Mar 2026 'Without food charity, we might not eat'

Tiegan Parry says The Bread and Butter Thing, in Boston, eases financial pressures on her family.
The Bread and Butter Thing has 111 hubs across the country, aiming to make everyday essentials affordable. The Old Leake branch supports around 70 households per week with members paying £8.50 for around £35-worth of food. A 19-year-old woman using the service said "If we didn't have it, we probably wouldn't be able to eat." She's been going there for three and a half years with her family, who would struggle without it. The Old Leake hub has supported almost 850 members since opening in February 2023, distributing over 9,400 sets of shopping equating to more than 291,000 meals. Each bag contains fresh fruit and vegetables, chilled items for the fridge, and cupboard supplies like pasta and cereal. The service is partly funded by Comic Relief. A volunteer at the hub said it helps families "top up" their shopping, with many visiting even when they don't need to financially as a social thing. The charity receives help from food production factories and supermarkets and hopes this means it's reducing waste by distributing more food that would otherwise go to landfill.