Local projects aim to help struggling families access ‘healthy and nutritious’ food

Devon County Council has launched a new two-year project which aims to ease food insecurity in Devon.

The Community Food Hubs Programme is funded by a £200,000 grant from Devon County Council (DCC) Public Health and Communities and is being led by Devon Community Foundation (DCF).

The initiative will support activities including food boxes, affordable food clubs, community larders and breakfast clubs for schoolchildren.

It follows the publication of The Face of Food Insecurity in Devon, commissioned by our Public Health Team.

It illustrates the chronic and widespread nature of food insecurity in Devon, with 29 per cent of those surveyed admitting that they felt ‘food insecure.’

However it also highlighted the potential benefits of placing food support in community hubs that also offer other related services.

Now the funding will help kick-start five projects in local communities.

These are Project Food in Axminster, Nourishing Dartmoor, Stepping Stones Totnes, Love Food in Exeter, and a new cooking and eating hub at Queen Elizabeth School in Crediton.

They will deliver a variety of initiatives to help alleviate food insecurity, increase positive eating practices and build skills.

These include providing food boxes, frozen meals, affordable food clubs or setting up social supermarkets, community larders, cafés and allotments, ‘cook along’ events, swap shops, foraging walks, breakfast clubs for school children, cooking lessons and online cookery content.

The programme also seeks to better understand the sustainability of food hub projects and their role in connecting communities, particularly families experiencing chronic food insecurity, with other forms of support.