S2 Food Poverty Network
People: Improving people’s mental wellbeing
We have a new Community Shop. Shop clients explain why they struggle. Most cite debt or insufficient benefit provision. Our debt mentors and benefits specialist develop agreed, effective action plans.
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About this cause
Founded in 2016, the S2 Food Bank's original goal remains: the relief of food poverty in Sheffield 2. Experience has shown us a further strategic need: to identify/relieve underlying causes of food poverty. In 2023, with support from the Co-op Community Fund, we opened a Community Food Shop. After four weeks of Food Bank access, clients are invited to use the Food Shop. There they benefit from a wide offer of fresh food/provisions. The condition: clients must show evidence of the underlying causes of their need. For most this is debt; for some it is the inability to access full benefit entitlements. We now have six debt mentors trained by Community Money Advice and employ a Benefits Advisor. Clients must first discuss, then implement, a plan to address the underlying cause of their need.
How this cause brings people in the community together
In the first four months of 2024, S2 Food Bank gave 905 weekly provisions, and our new Community Shop provided 2186 weekly provisions. The Food Bank is about emergency (four weeks') provision of food. If need persists, we offer membership of the Community Shop. Here clients have more choice including fresh vegetables, fruit, and meats. The condition of Shop membership is that the client explains the underlying cause of their food poverty. Most frequently they cite debt and/or insufficiency of benefits. We have several volunteers now trained as debt mentors. We also have an expert Benefits Advisor. Already we have obtained four Debt Relief Orders and recovered £17,000 in benefit entitlements. We will use further funding to improve ventilation and air quality in the refurbished shop.