Category: Resources

‘A Lifeline To Our Families’: Kinship Carers Project Report

For the last six months, Feeding Liverpool has been working with Kinship Carers Liverpool to support between 30 and 40 kinship families each week by providing them with fresh fruit and vegetables.

This project began in December 2023, after the need for additional support for Kinship Carers was identified by Liverpool’s Healthy Start working group and the Good Food Taskforce; it forms part of Feeding Liverpool’s Healthy Boost Project, which seeks to improve access to good food for those who are at risk of food insecurity.

This report shares the difference Kinship Carers Liverpool’s project with Feeding Liverpool has made to the families who attend the centre by drawing on case studies and information provided by those who benefit from this initiative and those who operate it.

Amongst it’s key information, it finds that:

  • Families now have healthier diets, eating both more and a wider variety of fruits and vegetables
  • Recipients have noted that the project has had a positive impact on both their physical and mental wellbeing, allowing them to enjoy a healthy lifestyle and the relief this brings
  • The project has enabled kinship families to save money and have access to healthy food items, regardless of their financial situation
  • Families can access healthier food in a way that is convenient and easy for them, reducing the health and financial disparities they are vulnerable to
  • The project has fostered a sense of community, encouraging families to share recipes and ideas about how to cook healthy meals on a budget
  • The project has addressed specific kinship needs, making families feel they are being heard instead of being overlooked

You can read this Kinship Carers Report here.

More Than Food: Older People And Community Food Spaces Report

Feeding Liverpool have written a report that illustrates the multi-faceted nature of community food spaces and highlights their ability to help older adults in a variety of ways beyond just food provision. This is especially important when the complexities of food insecutiy among the elderly are considered; there are numerous transitions that occur later in a person’s life that demand forms of adjustment and adaptation in order to cope with the challenges these present. In order to mitigate these issues, older people can often find themselves dependent on multiple support systems – of which community food spaces can be one.

The report finds that community food spaces are welcoming organisations, run by members of the community for those in the area. While they work to address people’s immediate food needs, they also serve to build a more sustainable and healthy community for the long-term. Indeed, these spaces have the potential to tackle social isolation, allow people to learn new skills, enhance mental and physical wellbeing, and knit neighbourhoods together – particularly thorugh intergenerational relationships.

You can read the More Than Food: Older People and Community Food Spaces Report here.

Feeding Britain’s Affordable Food Clubs Impact Report 2024

Feeding Britain now have 378 affordable food clubs within their network, with a collective membership of just over 90,000 people. Approximately 40,000 people attend an Affordable Food Club supported by Feeding Britain each week, spending an average of £6 per visit. This cost gives them access to food with an average estimated value of £22, which helps to ease financial pressures and make ends meet.

Read their 2024 Affordable Food Clubs Impact Report.

NHS Healthy Start Resources

Feeding Liverpool have created this NHS Healthy Start video for families to understand how to apply, what the scheme is and where to use their Healthy Start cards across the city.

Feel free to share the video amongst your colleagues, families you work with and other organisations. If you’d like to promote this video, please email [email protected].

If you’re working in the community and would like some resources to promote the scheme, please click here for the NHS Healthy Start resources.

 

Christmas Foodbank Donations Guidance

This is a time of year where many individuals, community groups, educational institutions and workplaces organise donation drives for Foodbanks. It’s fantastic that so many people want to lend support.

To help focus donations on what would be most effective, Feeding Liverpool have consulted with some of the largest Foodbanks in our network.

What we’ve heard is that whilst festive treats are great at this time of year, please keep donating the staples. High demand during winter means we need these donations to keep foodbank cupboards stocked with all the essentials.

Please donate:

  • Rice
  • Pasta
  • UHT Milk
  • Tinned Tomatoes
  • Tinned/Instant Soups
  • Noodles
  • Jam
  • Tinned Meat/Fish
  • Tinned rice pudding
  • Instant Coffee
  • Shampoo

You can download a shareable social media graphic here.

Print off our guidance and put it up at your local donation point here.

Feeding Britain’s Affordable Food Clubs Impact Report 2023

Feeding Britain is supporting a network of 348 affordable food clubs – encompassing pantries, larders, and social supermarkets – across its 87 regional and local partnerships. These settings make food and other essentials more affordable and accessible to their 75,000 member households, helping people to stretch their
budgets further while preventing at least some of the need for food banks.

Read their impact report here.

Liverpool Christmas Support Page 2023

Here is a list of useful Liverpool-based Christmas Food Support services and resources for the Christmas and New Year period.

Community Christmas Meals

The below organisations are providing free Christmas meals on Christmas Day.

The Hope Foundation will be running a Christmas Day meal from 11.30am until 4pm at the Frontline Centre, 147 Lawrence Road, L15 3HA. To get in touch with them regarding the meal, please email [email protected].

Bay Tree Catering will be running a Community Christmas Dinner on Christmas Day 25th December from 10am – 2pm. This will be at Vauxhall Community Centre, Silvester Street, Liverpool L5 8SE. To book a place, please go through local community organisations.

Squash Liverpool are open on Christmas Day from 12 – 3pm for drop ins. There will be tasty free food available throughout. To get in touch, visit their website or please email Clare Owens [email protected]

If you’re hosting a Christmas meal in the run up to Christmas or on Christmas and you’d like us to publicise it, please email [email protected]


Emergency Food Providers

Please check this spreadsheet to confirm the opening and closing times of Emergency Food Providers over the Christmas period.

Emergency Food spreadsheet, click here.

North Liverpool Foodbank Network

Opening days and times for North Liverpool Foodbanks can be found here.

Details about each foodbank location can be found here.

You will need to go through the usual support agencies to obtain a voucher or voucher code, these include Citizens Advice Liverpool, your GP, health visitor, or social worker.

If the support agency is closed then staff from St Andrew’s Community Network will be picking up answer phone messages on a rota and will be able to issue e-voucher codes over the phone. Please call 0151 226 3406 and leave your name and contact number for the team.

South Liverpool Foodbank

Details about each foodbank location can be found here.

Opening days and times for South Liverpool Foodbanks can be found on this spreadsheet. Please click here.

Micah Liverpool

Micah Liverpool foodbank is open on Thursday 28th December at St Bride’s Church, Percy St, L8 7LT from 10.30am – 12.30pm. There is no referral needed and no voucher needed, you just turn up.

The community markets have been cancelled on the following dates this year – Wednesday 20th December, Friday 22nd December, Wednesday 27th December and Friday 29th December. Their normal foodbank on Tuesday will not be open on Tuesday 26th December.

They are back as usual from Tuesday 2nd January.

To get in touch, please call 0151 702 7206.

Gold House: Hope for All

Gold House: Hope for All is open on Thursday 28th December from 12pm – 1.30pm. To get in touch please contact Pastor Patricia on 07576 993392.

New Beginnings Improving Lives CIC (Filling the Gap Foodbank)

New Beginnings Improving Lives foodbank is open on Thursday 28th December for collections and deliveries to provide to those in an emergency crisis.

The normal ‘referral-only’ criteria will be relaxed and contact can be made directly. This service is for families and individuals in a crisis with no food or financial means to purchase food.

Please contact Michelle Roach on [email protected].

The Whitechapel Centre

The Whitechapel Centre will be open between Wednesday 27th December and Friday 29th December from 9am until 4pm.

To get in touch with the centre, please call 0151 207 8639.

Liverpool Zero Waste CIC Surplus Food Open Events

Liverpool Zero Waste CIC collect surplus food to save it from landfill and distribute it to communities. Over Christmas and New Year they will be running a number of open events giving out surplus food from over 50 supermarkets to be collected.

They will be operating two open food events everyday from Sunday 24th December until Saturday 6th January at All Souls Church, Mather Avenue, Allerton, Liverpool, L19 4TF and at Church of Holy Spirit on East Prescot Road/Dovecot Avenue, Dovecot, L14 2EH.

Please bring big bags – They are expecting large volumes of surplus food that will need saving.

For specific timings, please follow Liverpool Zero Waste CIC on Facebook and Twitter.

To find out more information about Emergency Food Providers over Christmas, please click on this spreadsheet


Community Food Spaces

Our Community Food Space Map is an interactive resource that shows community food spaces in Liverpool city. Before visiting a community food space, please check this spreadsheet for Christmas opening hours.

To view the spreadsheet, click here.

To view our Community Food Space map, click here.

The Queen of Greens

The Queen of Greens is a mobile greengrocer that stops at various locations across Liverpool and Knowsley. The Queen of Greens will be closed from the last stop on Friday 22nd December until Tuesday 2nd January.

To view our Queen of Greens map, click here.

Haven’t filled in our survey about your opening hours? Please fill in the survey here if you operate one food space, and here if you operate more than one food space.


Agencies and other support

Winter Holiday Activities and Food Programme – the Winter HAF programme starts on the 27th December and there are lots of great things happening over the school holidays. Children and young people, from reception to age 16 (including year 11 leavers), who are eligible for benefits related free school meals, will be able to access hundreds of activities through the half – term holidays including specific provision available for children with SEND or additional needs, at no cost. There’s a great range of activities available across the city and every day there wil be a range of meals available. To find out where the nearest scheme is, click on this link or go on to the Mersey Play website for more information.

Help in a crisis – Liverpool City Council have provided some sources of support that could help you or someone you know.

Crisis Merseyside are open for a half day on Christmas Eve and then they are open on 27/28/29 December. They reopen as normal on Tuesday 2nd January.

Find your local councillor using this tool.

LCVS has compiled a list of resources for individuals affected by the Cost of Living Crisis. This includes useful services and resources for the winter period, e.g. Warm Hubs. Visit the LCVS website here for information regarding:

Warm Hubs:

To find a Warm Welcome Space, click this link.

  • Winter Warm Welcome Days Warm Hub – drop in every Thursday from 10am to 4pm at Kensington Fields Community Centre until Thursday 21st December
  • The Life Rooms Warm Hubs (Walton, Belle Vale – Lee Valley, Bootle & Southport)
  • Warm Welcome Hub at The Brain Charity
  • Liverpool Carers Centre Warm Bank Community Living Room – every Monday from 12:30 – 2pm at 99 Edge Lane, Liverpool, L7 2PE
  • A Place of Welcome – APLACE2B Croxteth Warm Hub – every Thursday from 11:30am – 2:30pm with a free lunch at St Cuthbert’s Croxteth Park
  • Warm and Cosy with the Archdiocese of Liverpool in various locations (see LCVS website for more information)

Liverpool-based Resources & Services:

General Resources: