Winter appeal launched to meet food poverty demand

Chris Elliott from The Feed says running enterprises to fund charitable work is getting harder

A social enterprise which supports families struggling to pay food bills has started a winter appeal to meet demand for its services.

The Feed, based in Norwich, runs a community cafe, social supermarket and projects to support some of the city's most vulnerable people.

Profits get reinvested into its local projects to support thousands of people each year.

Chris Elliott, The Feed's corporate fundraising manager, said energy and water bills at its community cafe in Waterloo Park rose by £10,000 in 2023, and it needed extra support.

Demand remained high and "certainly won't go down", he explained.

'People need us'

"Funding is harder to come by as local and national governments have less to spend, as well as local grant providers," he said.

"The money out there is getting thinner and our profit margin is really slim because of all the things that affect every business - energy bills and staffing costs etc.

Mr Elliot said businesses could support The Feed's winter appeal through sponsorship, committing to use its services or donating online.

"The reality is it's really hard to make money in the food sector. But we know that thousands of people need us now and more are coming to us," he added.

The Feed's social supermarket, which sells groceries at reduced prices, supports about 5,000 people each year.

Mr Elliott said while the supermarket was not means tested, staff had a "trusted conversation" with service users to ensure it benefited those who needed it.