We are helping foodbanks across the area stretch their supply and provide more nutritious food. 

This is when many households are making decisions around heat or food, we have used social value funding from our contractors to boost vital community support.

Devon

Devonport

In Devonport, Plymouth we supported food club, Help a Neighbour, with a £200 donation for food to boost its supplies to replenish its shelves. 

It provides the people of Devonport with access to low-cost, good quality food.

Helen Crispin, the Treasurer, said: “LiveWest's £200 gift card will go a lot further than you think.  We buy food in at the cheapest price we can, then sell it at around 50 per cent of retail cost.  

“Our members are able to buy more food and we use the income from the sales to invest in buying more stock, it's much appreciated!”
Alison Knight, our Community Connector added: “Food projects where residents contribute towards the cost are able to be more reliable, sustainable and reduce the stigma in using a food project. 

“When individuals in a community help each other through a project like this, it empowers people and gives them purpose.”

Holsworthy

Based at Holsworthy Methodist Church, the Food Hub provides excellent quality food at low cost to people on low incomes. While purchasing food is a key expense, rent for the building remains the project’s biggest outgoing cost. The social value funding reduced the pressure of this cost.

Katherine Smith, volunteer at Holsworthy Food Hub, reflects on the support:

“At Holsworthy Food Hub, apart from spending money on food from a food distribution charity called FareShare, rent is our biggest expenditure.

“The £500 grant award means that our project can continue to provide families and households with excellent quality food at a low cost from a building which provides us with refrigeration for chilled goods, space for our café, storage for our dry goods and is accessible for our customers, week after week.”

The church venue plays a crucial role in the Hub’s success. It offers refrigeration for chilled products, storage for dry goods, and a welcoming café space where customers can connect with others. It also allows partner organisations, such as South West Water and local energy providers, to host sessions offering practical advice on saving money.

Simon Cohen, LiveWest Community Connector, said:

“To say our volunteers were pleased was an understatement.

This money allows our volunteers to focus their efforts on providing good value for money food boxes and maintaining a warm, welcoming atmosphere each week, knowing the project is achieving greater financial stability.”

Thanks to this support, Holsworthy Food Hub can continue to provide affordable food and a supportive community space for those who need it most.

Cornwall

St Austell

At St Austell Food Bank, we donated food worth £300, with the quantities aligned with where the largest number of our residents live.

Andy Payne, the Food Bank Manager, said: " This extra provision is very timely as we have lots of homeless people housed in St Austell under Cornwall Councils cold weather provision and this means we can keep up with this extra surge of need."

We also provided more than £600 in food vouchers to:

• Newquay Foodbank
• Liskeard and Looe Foodbank
• Wadebridge Foodbank

These contributions are helping people across Wadebridge, Bodmin, Camelford, Padstow, and surrounding areas.

Helston

This food bank was nominated to receive LiveWest social value funding, and the team there were incredibly grateful and excited upon receiving the voucher. In fact, they shared that it was the largest donation of this kind they have ever received, making the support even more significant.

The timing of the donation proved especially valuable. January is traditionally one of the most challenging months for food banks, as supplies often need replenishing following the busy Christmas period when demand is particularly high.

The Love2shop voucher was exchanged for a Sainsbury’s paper gift card, enabling essential food and household supplies to be purchased. A visit was arranged to Sainsbury’s alongside the food bank team, where key items were selected to support those most in need within the community.

While not all of the funding was used during the initial shopping trip, the remaining balance has been safely retained. The Sainsbury’s voucher remains valid for two years, allowing the food bank to return and purchase further supplies when specific stock items become available. The food bank team also highlighted the helpful support they have received from Sainsbury’s staff.

The food bank team expressed their heartfelt appreciation, sharing that the donation will make a significant difference to the individuals and families they support.

This project is a fantastic example of social value funding delivering meaningful, timely support to local communities.