Members and volunteers at The Bread and Butter Thing’s St Lukes food club, which helps local families access nutritious, affordable food every week, celebrated the charity’s 10th birthday.
Members across The Bread and Butter Thing’s hubs came together to celebrate with birthday cake, a brew and good company, sharing memories, stories and friendships in a festive atmosphere created by dedicated volunteers and local communities.
The celebration was one of more than 160 taking place across England to mark The Bread and Butter Thing’s 10th anniversary. For St Lukes, it was also an opportunity to celebrate the role the hub plays in the community, helping local families access affordable fresh food while bringing people together every week.
The Bread and Butter Thing began 10 years ago with one hired van delivering surplus food to a community centre in Moss Side, Manchester. Today, it has grown into the UK’s largest member-based food redistribution charity, supporting more than 100,000 households through weekly hubs in more than 160 communities across England.
St Lukes food club gives local families and individuals access to fresh, nutritious food at low cost, offering 3 bags of food packed with fresh fruit and vegetables, chilled items and cupboard staples from just £8.50. But for many members, it offers much more than affordable food. It’s somewhere to catch up with neighbours over a brew, swap recipes, volunteer and find support.
St Lukes celebrated in style, with volunteers and members decorating the hub with birthday banners and balloons before enjoying cake and a cuppa together in full party spirit.
Vic Harper, Chief Executive of The Bread and Butter Thing, said:
“Every hub has its own story, but together they’ve created something extraordinary. Over the past ten years we’ve unlocked the equivalent of 70 million meals, we’ve never moved out of a community and we’ve never missed a delivery. Those milestones matter because they represent something bigger – people knowing they can rely on us, week after week. That’s only possible because of the incredible members, volunteers and partners who make hubs like St Lukes such an important part of their community.”
Mark Game, Founder of The Bread and Butter Thing, said:
“It started with just me, a hire van and one community, testing and refining the idea week by week. But it only worked because of the huge support of brilliant people who understood communities far better than I did and who helped shape the model into something practical, trusted and useful.
To now see The Bread and Butter Thing turning ten, supporting over 100,000 members and becoming part of people’s everyday lives, their bread and butter, is something I am incredibly proud of. The heart of the idea has never changed: create a model that works in the real world, for real people, week after week.