Birmingham community group helps feed families for £4

A community group in the West Midlands is helping families fight the cost of living by offering them an opportunity to buy their weekly food shop for £4.

The Birmingham Care Group, based in the Jewellery Quarter, launched a food pantry in April and more than 40 people pass through its doors every day.

As well as offering a mix of Caribbean and English food, the pantry also has fresh toiletries and household items.

The pantry has a £10 annual membership fee and opens from Tuesday to Thursday.

Designed to bridge the gap between a food bank and supermarkets the fee for the pantry, on Kenyon Street, enables people to shop there up to twice a week, paying £4 for goods that normally cost about £25.

"A food bank hands out pre-packed parcels to the community, whereas a pantry allows them to choose for themselves," founder Fiona Ramdeen said.

To save on waste, there is also an "eco-corner" where people can bring their own containers and fill up on laundry powder, rice, cooking oil and flour.

As well as members of the community, the group supports schools in the area where pupils' families are struggling financially.

"We have a diverse number of people coming here, from Spanish, Iranian, Slovakian, Caribbean and English backgrounds," Ms Ramdeen added.

She continued: "We don't limit who we help, we try to work with them to understand their culture and match our products with what they are culturally used to."

The pantry relies on funding and donations, but said it has recently found the uncertain economic climate "very trying".

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