New community food hubs programme launched to tackle food insecurity in Devon

A new two-year initiative aimed at reducing food insecurity in Devon has been launched with funding from Devon County Council (DCC).

The Community Food Hubs Programme, supported by a £200,000 grant from DCC’s Public Health and Communities department, is being led by the Devon Community Foundation (DCF).

The project will support a range of activities including food boxes, affordable food clubs, community larders, and breakfast clubs for schoolchildren.

The programme follows the release of The Face of Food Insecurity in Devon, a report commissioned by DCC’s Public Health Team, which found that 29 per cent of survey respondents reported feeling food insecure.

The report also highlighted the benefits of embedding food support within community hubs that offer additional related services.

Grants have been awarded to five local projects to help launch initiatives in their communities. These include Project Food in Axminster, Nourishing Dartmoor, Stepping Stones Totnes, Love Food in Exeter, and a cooking and eating hub at Queen Elizabeth School in Crediton.

The projects will deliver various services such as food boxes, frozen meals, social supermarkets, affordable food clubs, cafés, allotments, and community larders.

Additional activities planned include ‘cook along’ events, swap shops, foraging walks, cooking lessons, breakfast clubs, and online cookery content.

The programme also aims to evaluate the sustainability of food hub projects and their role in connecting families facing food insecurity with wider community support.

Councillor Simon Clist, DCC cabinet member responsible for communities, said: “It’s nothing short of a scandal that so many of our residents are unable to afford the food that they need to ensure that their families stay healthy.

“And it’s not just affecting one group of people; with food prices steadily rising over the past few years and incomes stagnating, given a particular set of circumstances anyone can find themselves in a position where they are unable to access nutritious food.

“The problem is endemic and there is no single way to fix this and that’s why the initial research, funding from Devon Public Health and the work of Devon Community Foundation is so vital.

“Over the coming weeks and months, I look forward to seeing the development of a range of activities and projects in local communities that will better target support at those most in need.”

Nicola Frost, head of Impact, Insight and Learning at Devon Community Foundation, added:
“This programme is an important opportunity to support an evidence-based approach to investment in our voluntary, community and social enterprise sector’s response to the challenge of household food insecurity in our communities.

“But we are also keen to understand how the funding and support of community hubs might provide a blueprint for future collaborative work with public sector agencies more generally.”