Manchester based charity 'The Bread and Butter Thing' celebrates 10 year anniversary
The Bread and Butter Thing (TBBT) marked its 10th anniversary with a special reception in Speaker's House, by kind permission of Mr Speaker, The Rt Hon Sir Lindsay Hoyle MP.
The event brought together members, volunteers, politicians, partners and food industry leaders to celebrate a decade in which TBBT has grown from a single van serving one Manchester community to more than 160 community food clubs, supporting over 120,000 households and distributing 70 million meals.
Guests included Madam Deputy Speaker Caroline Nokes MP; Jonathan Brash MP; Simon Roberts, CEO of Sainsbury’s; Judith Irons, Food Systems and Sustainability Director of 2 Sisters Food Group; TBBT Chief Executive Vic Harper and founder Mark Game.
Simon Roberts, CEO of Sainsbury’s, added: “We believe everyone should have access to good food. The Bread and Butter Thing is helping make that a reality for families across the country, offering practical food solutions and wider support for many families navigating challenges.
“We're incredibly proud of our partnership with TBBT. Together with Comic Relief, we've raised more than £26 million to support over 2.4 million people facing food insecurity. We'll continue working together with Comic Relief and TBBT to help create stronger, more resilient communities.”
Judith Irons, Food Systems and Sustainability Director, 2 Sisters Food Group, said: “Anyone who works in the food industry knows that getting surplus to where it can do good is much harder than it looks. It does not appear neatly, in the right quantities, in the right place, with plenty of notice.
“The Bread and Butter Thing manages the full chain, from collection and transport through to delivery, and takes that complexity away from food businesses. We produce protein, one of the more expensive parts of the weekly shop, so when our surplus goes into a Bread and Butter bag, it can become the centre of a family meal. There is still far too much edible food in our system that could be doing good, and partnerships like this show what is possible. Thank you for inviting us to be part of the journey.”
Vic Harper, Chief Executive of The Bread and Butter Thing, concluded: “Ten years ago, we were one van and one community in Manchester and now we’re woven into communities from Northumberland to Kent. I’m incredibly proud of how far we’ve come, and, in all that time, we have never missed a delivery and never moved out of a community. Our members know that, week in and week out, we’ll be there.
“That doesn’t happen without an extraordinary network of members, volunteers, community partners, suppliers, funders and supporters behind us. Tonight is a chance to celebrate all of them, and everything we’ve built together. Thank you, and here’s to the next 10!”