Wigan charity The Brick will launch food club to help more people in need

A Wigan charity which has seen a huge rise in demand during the coronavirus pandemic is changing the way it operates in a bid to help even more people.
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The Brick provides vital support for people who are homeless or in poverty, providing food, helping them find accommodation and offering many other kinds of support.

There has been a large increase in the number of people seeking support and the number of food parcels it handed out has risen by 150 per cent.

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Now, it is going to change the way it helps those who need food but cannot afford to buy it from supermarkets and greengrocers.

Louise Green, chief executive for The BrickLouise Green, chief executive for The Brick
Louise Green, chief executive for The Brick

The charity plans to stop handing out free food parcels and instead open a food club, where people can choose their own produce to buy at a very low cost.

It is hoped this will still be accessible to many people and be a more sustainable way for the charity to operate.

It could also encourage those who need help, but are embarrassed to ask for a free food parcel, to come forward and buy what they need.

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Chief executive Louise Green said: “What we are trying to do it bring in a system that’s more sustainable for people but also make sure people don’t go hungry.

“We are not trying to shirk the responsibilities of a food bank.

“When someone is really hungry they will accept a food parcel, but there’s very little dignity in that. When we hand someone a bag of food, they have no choice no choice in what goes into it.

“We have done some consultations with people and decided that it is the best way to go.”

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The food club will launch in January and operate by charging people a small yearly membership - perhaps £5 - and then just £1 or £2 to shop.

People will be able to choose foods they like, rather than having to eat whatever they are given in a food parcel.

Mrs Green believes this will help people in the long-term, as they will be able to buy their food at a much lower cost than going to a supermarket.

She said: “The charity will always have to subsidise, whether it’s a food bank or a food club.

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“I think a food club is more sustainable and it’s healthier because in the food parcels, we are very limited in our fresh food.

“If we have a food club, with the fresh food people can take as much as they want. It will be there and we will have recipes for people.”

The Brick will work with other organisations in the town, such as Fur Clemt and churches, to access food.

There are also plans to open a community cafe, which will run as a commercial kitchen, and there are proposals to have cookery classes and meal planning in future.

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Mrs Green is aware the change to a food club could be controversial, but hopes it will be beneficial to more people.

And she says food parcels will still be available for anyone unable to pay the small price of the food club.

“I think there’s going to be a lot of people who are really, really excited about this and really want to get in there as soon as possible,” she said.

“I also think there will be people who have had food parcels for a while and may find it a bit daunting and overwhelming.

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“It will be like going to your own supermarket, but the idea is we should all be doing that. Why should somebody not have choice, just because they haven’t got the money to go to Asda or Sainsbury’s?”

It has been a challenging year for The Brick due to the coronavirus pandemic, but it has continued to make a real difference for people in need.

Mrs Green said: “Pre-Covid we ran, on behalf of the council, several accommodation sites, all of which were shared, but obviously Covid hit and there was the recommendation that everybody needed to be in their own space.

“Within a couple of days we moved 40 people into a hotel. We did that within three days max, which was a feat in itself. We did it with the help of Wigan Council, who were really supportive.”

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After seeing the benefits to people having their own space, it is hoped that The Brick can continue to do this when offering accommodation in future.

Demand for food parcels soared, as people suddenly found themselves out of work and struggling financially, while children could no longer access free meals at school. More people who had never needed help before were turning to the food bank.

Mrs Green said: “Since the start of the pandemic we have distributed 7,984 food parcels. Around 3,000 have been for children. At the same time last year it was 3,134 - it’s an increase of 150 per cent.”

The Brick moved out of its food bank premises on Market Street, in Wigan town centre, as the lack of space made it difficult to keep people safe and maintain social distancing. It is now based at the Brick Works.

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All food was delivered to people who needed it, rather than being collected from the food bank, with the help of an army of supporters, including volunteers, members of other charities, businesses and council staff.

Fortunately the charity still received donations of food and had built up a reserve of food and money, so could continue to provide the parcels.

Fund-raising was hit, as both events organised by The Brick and individual supporters had to be cancelled due to the pandemic, but thankfully people were still keen to support the charity.

Mrs Green said: “We normally have a huge sleepout to raise money, but that had to be cancelled so instead we did a sleepout in your back garden to raise money. We raised over £20,000, it was amazing. That’s the Wigan community getting behind us. That gave us the money we need and we bought the food in bulk.”

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Staff were furloughed and the charity’s shops were closed for several months, but customers have flocked back since they reopened.

Mrs Green is appreciative of Wiganers for all the support they have given. She said: “We are really grateful, it has been amazing. Wigan as a community is like no other. They get behind us and it never stops amazing me how much the community will help.”

To support The Brick, go to www.thebrick.org.uk.

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