A social supermarket offering high-quality food at low costs has opened in Liscard, to help combat the rising levels of food poverty in the Wirral area.
The store will not only be offering items for sale at half the price, it will also be giving non-food support, such as job and budgeting advice, along with benefits guidance, to help people make steps to get out of poverty.
Liscard Community hub is based at Liscard Primary School, and has been created in partnership with Fed Up Wallasey, a charity run by the Wirral Development Trust and funded by Wirral Borough Council.
The social supermarket is one of six hubs founded by Fed Up, with others based in Seacombe, Leasowe, New Brighton and Egremont.
The stock they receive varies with each delivery and the goods can be anything from pizzas to baby wipes, cupboard food and even a turkey joint.
Twitter: Megan Stringer
The social supermarket offers not only cupboard food, but also fresh and freezer food. The food may be close to its best before date, or damaged and rather than it go to landfill, it goes to food hubs around the area for more than 50% of the original price. @JMUJournalism pic.twitter.com/9uk3I50uOb
— Megan (@mstringerjourno) October 14, 2019
Friends of Liscard member Marianne White, who helps run the social supermarket, told JMU Journalism: “The whole aim of it is the food waste side of it.
“We are purchasing the palettes of food from registered charities, Fare Share and His Church, and the food that comes to us may be close to its use-by date or damaged once received by the supermarket. Rather than the food going to waste, it comes to us and we can then sell it at reduced prices to the local community.”
Fed Up Wallasey also provides services such as community cafes, food to children and families throughout the school holidays, as well as providing a meals-on-wheels service.
Team leader, Sonia Owens-Hall, told JMU Journalism: “The support from the community so far has been fantastic. It’s created a real buzz among the parents from the school and the wider area. Everyone has been quite excited to come in, and they’ve all been really supportive.”
“We’ve only been open for a week and we have already had 100 memberships, and people coming back every time we have been open, so we know were reaching people on a regular basis.”
The social supermarket was set up at the school on October 7th and is open Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
YouTube: Megan Stringer