Impact
Every year we ask our members how we’re doing in our annual member survey. In 2022 over 6,600 members took part.
We use this rich insight to develop our services and the partners we bring to hubs. It also enables us to advocate for change from policy makers at local, regional and national level.
Here are the headlines from 2022
The full report can be viewed online or downloaded as a PDF.
5000
tonnes
of food was redistributed to our communities
A massive 12 million meals worth!
That’s 9.5 million tonnes of CO2
77%
of our members worry less about running out of food.
90%
of our volunteers have made new friends
TBBT members collectively saved
more than
£4.8 million
on their food budgets
96%
of our members say TBBT is good for their community.
“TBBT has opened me up to a whole new community and got me out of the house even on bad days when I feel like I can’t be bothered. It also makes me feel good that I can cook my children a decent meal too. I know I’m broke but not alone in the way I feel, so it’s great to meet other people in the same boat and there’s no judgement. We all speak and say hello. It’s made me feel more like me again.”
Who are our members?
TBBT’s members are as diverse as the food we provide.
66%
live in rented accommodation
38%
are on a pre-pay meter
40%
are in paid employment
Over 50%
are families with children
34%
have a caring responsibility beyond parenting
Over 1/4
struggle with ill health or have a disability that prevents them from working
Over 1/2
have less than £50 left at the end of the month
“What unites our members is that they are expert jugglers. They face multiple personal challenges whether that’s a caring responsibility, low paid work or illness, combined with the increased costs of childcare, travel and energy. Over a third of them are barely breaking even each month. These are people who have a lot on their plate. And our job is to make life easier for them.”
“It has given me access to low-cost, high quality food (nutritionally and monetarily). It has helped me feel less uncomfortable about struggling with rising living costs through seeing and speaking with others in similar struggles. It has given me a new place to visit for socialising and getting me out of the house, in an environment where I feel safe, comfortable and welcomed. It has improved my mental and physical health even if only in a small way.”
Food ladders
Dr Megan Blake, Senior Lecturer in Human Geography from the University of Sheffield, is a specialist in food insecurity. She describes it as like being on a food ladder.
Dr Blake’s work has helped shape TBBT’s development. Our affordable food service supports families on Rung Two – preventing them from falling into crisis and helping to lift them to long-term food security.
Rung Three
Long-term stability with families that are able to feed themselves well, within communities that are strong and resilient.
Rung Two
Families living in a degree of food insecurity - whether that’s skipping meals or relying on handouts. By accessing affordable food clubs such as TBBT, they have their capacity for coping enhanced with access to other assistance such as advice with bills and debt management or connecting people with their communities. By providing tools for people to make accessible food choices and stretch their budgets, we can enable longer term solutions and lift people out of crisis, or prevent them falling into crisis in the first place.
Rung One
Vulnerable families who need crisis support, like food banks, to enable them to cope.
Stepping up the food ladder
9 out of 10
members were skipping meals before they started using TBBT.
3/4
of them have now reduced or stopped skipping meals altogether.
1/2
of our members used a food bank prior to coming to TBBT, of them more than
2/3
have reduced their need to do so.
“I have realised I am not alone in worrying about how to put food on the table.”
“The Bread and Butter Thing is much bigger than food. It’s about relationships, community and bringing people together. The hubs have become places of connection and sanctuary. People volunteer and gain a sense of purpose, others access food in a way that doesn’t feel stigmatising, some find a place in a community they never knew existed. Everyone gives something to it and gains something from it. Other groups and partnerships spring up at these hubs and tap into the communities that congregate there. Their impact is much bigger than we could have imagined.”