We've helped 800 people across Newcastle with cheap and accessible food this year

November marks two years since The Bread and Butter Thing launched in Byker, an affordable food club offering customers weekly groceries at a fraction of high street prices.

The Byker hub, which opened in October 2023 with kickstart funding from Karbon Homes, is providing residents with the opportunity to access an average of £35 worth of items, including fresh fruit and vegetables, fridge favourites and cupboard staples, for £8.50 per week.

Michelle Bell, Assistant Director of Byker Community Trust, said: “Providing our customers with a variety of affordable food shopping is incredibly important.

“The Bread and Butter Thing has become one of the most popular services on the estate. Every Friday without fail there’s a queue out of the door of people picking up their shopping, and it provides our colleagues with a great opportunity to interact with and further support our customers. It’s great to see how well used the service is and it will no doubt continue to have a huge impact in our community.”

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From January to September this year alone, over 800 members have been supported, and the equivalent of 62,600 meals have been distributed in the community in Newcastle, either from the hub in Byker or from a bag drop to Karbon’s Merton Court estate in Benwell, in the west end of the city.

The Bread and Butter Thing’s weekly food pick up session is ran by volunteers who live on the estate.

Kerri, who has volunteered at the hub since it opened, said: “I started volunteering to build up my confidence. All the volunteers get on well and it’s great to be part of something that’s making a difference to people's lives every week.”