Food provision was a key concern for the council. The authority had heard reports from food banks and pantries in the borough that demand was increasing and that donations to food banks were decreasing. They acted on this and called for help from local businesses and partners to see what they could do to help the cause. Through generous donations and fund raising they were able to support five main food banks and four food pantries. They collected over 2.5 pallets of food and essentials and raised thousands in funding to give some food providers cash donations.
There was a need to expand the number of food banks/pantries and community growers in the borough and the council worked with the voluntary and community sector to explore the options for expanding the number of food banks in the borough. The council worked with Halton and St Helens Voluntary and Community Action (VCA), Torus (a local housing association), local churches, and community groups to coordinate this. Through the VCA a text donate service was set up to make it easier for people to donate to the Food Alliance (the main body which distributes donations to food banks in the borough).
The council have also supported Mission in the Economy (MitE) in setting up a mobile food pantry for the borough. They supported MitE in submitting a bid to the Government’s Faith New Deal Pilot Fund. The project was successful and the mobile food pantry received £124,842. Thanks to this funding, they now have a vehicle which has been adapted for the purpose of ensuring more residents across the borough have access to food provision. Around ten were identified sites for the mobile pantry to visit across the borough.
Support staff have been attending food banks and warm spaces across the borough to put on classes to show residents easy to cook, affordable, healthy, quick recipes. By teaching residents these skills in the hope it helps them to choose the right ingredients when they shop, helping them to keep their food bills low and keep them healthy.
As well as expanding the offer of food banks in the borough the council have also used the Household Support Fund to support residents in crisis with food vouchers, provide energy efficient white goods (such as slow cookers) for housing association residents, and provided vouchers or payments to families who were eligible to receive means-tested free school meals during the school holidays. In December 2022 schools distributed £45.000 supermarket vouchers to each eligible pupil.