Initiative to tackle hunger in holidays

Borough: Housing provider and RBWM unite to tackle problem

A housing provider which manages homes in the

Windsor area has partnered with Windsor and the Royal Borough council on its initiative to tackle holiday hunger.

Councillor Helen Price (TBFI, Clewer and Dedworth East) attended the Good Grub Club in Clewer and Dedworth on Tuesday, December 19, alongside housing provider Abri’s regional managing director (south east) Dasos Christou.

The initiative was set up in 2017 by Abri with the aim of relieving and supporting families throughout the school holidays with free meals, combating holiday hunger and social isolation.

The project gives people the confidence, resources and skillset to create balanced and nutritional meals, within their budget.

The sessions were previously delivered directly by Abri, however, the housing provider has now partnered with organisations in the area, including Windsor and Maidenhead council to expand the club across communities and help more people.

Festive turkey burgers and mince pies were on the menu for the Christmas themed session, with more sessions to be delivered by Dedworth Library, funded by Abri.

The ingredients provided for both the interactive event and for the families in attendance to recreate the dish while at home, were sourced from supermarkets in the area.

All unopened and leftover food was delivered to Windsor Foodshare.

Cllr Price, said: “Events like the Good Grub Club are great for building stronger community networks and combating loneliness or feelings of isolation where we live, this is especially important during the cold, dark winter months.

“It’s great to see initiatives like the club take place in Clewer and Dedworth, bringing families together to positively influence healthier food options and help residents understand the importance of a nutritional and balanced diet on a budget.”

Mr Christou said: “With the continued high cost of living, initiatives like this are so important.

“Every community should have the resources they need to thrive, so we’re really pleased to be able to support Dedworth Library in making this happen.

“It was great to meet some Abri families and other members of the community today and see the impact these sessions have.

“As part of Abri’s new regional model, we’ll be even more visible and accountable to our customers and run more events like this to better meet the needs of our communities.”

Good Grub Club sessions are being run by Dedworth Library during the school holidays until summer next year.

To book a place email advocacy@rbwm.gov.uk or call Dedworth Library on 01753868733.