North west housing providers Irwell Valley Housing and One Manchester‘s The Good Food Bag is providing low cost, healthy meal kits to organisations to help them support their customers, as well as selling directly to people living in areas of food insecurity.
For £7, people get a bag with all the pre-measured ingredients and a step-by-step recipe card to cook a nutritious meal to feed a family of four.
Many registered housing providers have played their part in the pandemic, supporting communities who have been hit hard by lockdown and the subsequent recession.
Some of the families who have been hit hardest are those who are facing food insecurity.
Sasha Deepwell, chief executive of Irwell Valley, explains: “The Good Food Bag is more than just providing a food parcel, it’s offering choice, it’s developing skills and inspiring confidence, it’s affordable and it’s feeding families right now.
“We have a few budget friendly food offerings in Manchester, but none are like The Good Food Bag. It’s part of a new trend towards purchased food, planning ahead for if surpluses run out, and providing a more sustainable solution to help people out of food insecurity.”
Jigsaw Homes has now partnered with The Good Food Bag to address holiday hunger and have been supporting their customers in need over the school holidays since the start of the pandemic.
Neighbourhood engagement officer Jamie Bell said: “Jigsaw Homes have been working with The Good Food Bag Project and Gorton & Clayton Children’s Centres, providing local families with nutritious food over the summer holidays.
“This has been a challenging time for many families – we wanted to promote healthy eating and learning new skills in the community.”
Nicole Kershaw, chief executive at One Manchester, said: “The Good Food Bag is a great way to help those families hardest hit by the pandemic. It’s not a handout, it’s a helping hand when people need it most.
“With The Good Food Bag, I know we can make a difference to people’s lives.”
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