Derbyshire
“Feeding Derbyshire is a countywide project aimed at finding sustainable solutions to help feed people who are struggling with low incomes and debt.”
We have worked with Feeding Derbyshire to develop an extensive network of Affordable Food Clubs. Specialist Advice Workers are available within food projects, as part of the Pathways from Poverty programme, and families are supported all year round through school holiday programmes of food and fun.
A list of Affordable Food Clubs and other food projects in Derbyshire can be found here.
The mission
Feeding Derbyshire are guided by the vision that Derbyshire residents have food in times of need. The group have four central aims: to build food security, through projects like the Fareshare foodhub; to find sustainable solutions to help feed people struggling with low incomes and debt; to redistribute surplus food that would otherwise be wasted; and to promote social inclusion through food.
How we work
Derbyshire County Council led the Feeding Derbyshire partnership for its first three years and has invested over £500k during that time. From April 2018 the leadership will be transferred to a local voluntary organisation, Rural Action Derbyshire, with some continued funding support from the council. 11 organisations, including charities, social enterprises, health providers, and religious organisations are actively involved in project planning and delivery.
What we’ve achieved
Key activities implemented by Feeding Derbyshire include:
- Support for foodbanks
- Foodbank plus
- FareShare food hub and FareShare Go
- Everyday affordable food box scheme
- Low cost food bags in schools
- Breakfast clubs
- Holiday club programming
- Social eating groups and community cafes
- Adult education courses- cooking on a budget
What’s next
In the coming year Feeding Derbyshire will work to scale up their projects which have had the most impact. The group are also considering strategies for reaching individuals living in the more remote rural parts of the county, through projects like warm hubs or village vending machines, and targeted social eating groups.
News from the Feeding Derbyshire Community Pantry Scheme: Derbyshire County Council has agreed to give £300,000 to Rural Action Derbyshire, who lead the Feeding Derbyshire programme, to help set up 12 community shops and pantries in some of Derbyshire’s most deprived areas. Pilots are already underway, supported by Feeding Britain. Find out more here.
Levels of local food insecurity
According to the University of Sheffield’s research into local food insecurity of adults (Jan 2021), in Derby:
- 4.32% of adults suffered from hunger
- 10.79% struggled to access food
- 12.10% worried about not having enough food
About this research:
The University of Sheffield have published statistics of UK adult food insecurity at Local Authority scale. You can view the map of measures of food insecurity here.
Hungry is defined as having skipped food for a whole day or more in the previous month or indicated they were hungry but not eaten because they could not afford or get access to food.
Struggle is defined as a positive response to at least one of the following:
- Sought help accessing food
- Skipped or shrank meal
- Gave a reason for not having enough food
Worry is defined as choosing very worried or fairly worried about getting food.