Feeding Families – a charity that aims to support families experiencing food poverty in the North East – is working with Church of England churches to launch a very special project.
Feeding Families provides families with food boxes, containing food items, spices and even special dietary items such as halal, vegetarian and gluten free goods.
However, the clergy and volunteers of St John’s Burnhope, together with the Social Justice team at St Nic’s, Durham noticed that a lot of the families receiving boxes via Burnhope School were unsure on how to use the ingredients provided.
Michael McGuigan, Social Justice Enabler at St Nics, said: “We’ve been working with Feeding Families since before Christmas, and we noticed that while we were giving people these boxes, a lot of people didn’t know what to do with the ingredients that they had.”
This birthed an amazing new initiative which aims to teach children how to cook hearty and healthy meals, using only the ingredients provided in Feeding Families boxes, and other items at low cost or donated by local businesses.
Ann Lipscombe, who is training for ministry and who works with St Johns, Burnhope and All Saints Lanchester, said: “I had a meeting with the Headteacher at Burnhope Primary School, who had already started a cooking club for their pupils.
This seemed like a really good initiative that we could build upon, teaching the children not only how to ice biscuits but how to use the ingredients in the Feeding Families boxes to cook meals.”
St John’s already had a positive working relationship with Burnhope Community Centre, and when the Warm Spaces collaborative initiative in the Centre came to an end, the Community Centre offered the use of the hall and kitchen to roll out the Burnhope Supper Club twice per week after school.
Michael added: “One of the beautiful things about this for me is we’re working collaboratively with different groups – the community centre, the school, different churches.”
Lesley Sutherland, Priest in Charge in the Benefice of Lanchester and Burnhope, said: “Food poverty is a very real issue for those living in my parishes of Lanchester and Burnhope, and Harelaw and Annfield Plain, and we’ve been looking for ways for our churches to help out.
“When Ann came to us on placement she introduced us to Michael and Feeding Families, and the idea of the Supper Club was born. Jesus’ ministry often involved eating with others, and one very special thing about the supper club is that we all sit down together at the end of each session, sharing food and fellowship.
“We’re hoping to roll out another supper club with the Community centre and schools in Annfield Plain.’