FOOD BANKS – CBC helps to fund numerous food banks in Central Bedfordshire.  Further information is available online at www.centralbedfordshire.gov.uk/food-banks.
* The NEED Project (referral only) – Call 07952 765302
* Biggleswade Baptist Church Food Bank – Call 01767 312667
* Biggleswade Preen – Call 01767 600332

CBC has a local Household Support Scheme, where households with children eligible for free school meals, care leavers, some disabled residents, residents in receipt of Council Tax Support who haven’t already received support and those living in park homes or caravan sites on low incomes can receive food vouchers.  CBC will contact these residents directly.  If you think are eligible, but haven’t been contacted, visit www.centralbedfordshire.gov.uk/hsg.

GET HELP TO BUY FOOD AND MILK – if you are more than 10 weeks pregnant or have a child under four years old, and are in receipt of certain benefits, you could be entitled to an NHS Healthy Start prepaid card worth £4.25 per week (£220 a year), to spend on healthy food and milk. If you are entitled to Healthy Start, you will also get free vitamins designed to help pregnant and breastfeeding women and growing children.

FREE SCHOOL MEALS – Your child will get a free school meal if you receive a qualifying benefit, and your child is: at school | studying in further education | at a sixth form college.  Find out more here.

HAF – CBC’s Holiday activities and food programme (HAF) provides fun, free activities for children and young people aged five and upwards during school holidays. The programme is for children eligible for benefit related free school meals, which is a requirement from the Department for Education which funds the programme.

LOVE FOOD, HATE WASTE – Tips and recipes to save food (and money!) from the climate action charity WRAP including Nine ways to save money on your food shop.

COOKING ON A BOOTSTRAP – this blog by author Jack Monroe is a free resource and features a range on tasty meals on a budget. Jack’s latest series is for recipes that use one hob and take less than 15minutes to make – cutting down on energy use.

FEED YOUR FAMILY FOR AROUND £20 A WEEK – this independent group have created some simple meal plans for around £20 per week. The meals plans are aimed at a family of 4 with different plans available if you are vegan or want to use a slow cooker or air fryer. All the recipes can be scaled up or down and each plan comes with a shopping list.

ASDA CAFE – Asda Cafes are running a number of deals to help with the cost of meals. These include Kids East for £1, free Ella’s baby food pouches, free water refills and a hot soup, roll and unlimited hot drinks for £1 for the over 60s during November and December.

#ENDCHILDFOOD POVERTY – Full Time meals with Marcus Rashford and Tom Kerridge
Recipes for people on tight budgets and those using free school meal vouchers – “Pocket-friendly, easy-peasy recipes for mega-tasty, super-filling, hearty home cooked grub!”