Council extends grant fund for non-profit groups that help put food on people’s plates in Banbury

Not-for-profit organisations involved in providing food for residents can apply for a share of the fund, which has so far given grants to community gardens, growing spaces, and cooking skills classes across the region.

At a meeting on Monday (March 6), the council decided to add a further £20,000 to the grant fund, which will allow it to continue in 2023–2024.

Cllr Phil Chapman, food champion and portfolio holder for healthy communities, said: "We don’t want anyone to go hungry in Cherwell district, and we will continue to work with our local partners to help make a difference.

"So far, we’ve issued ten community food grants to organisations that are providing food to those who need it and who are giving people the opportunity to think more about what they put on their plates and the connection it has to the natural world.

"Since we declared a food insecurity emergency last summer, we’ve done some innovative work to support our residents. That has included investing £352,000 to provide food vouchers to residents on housing benefit as well as initiatives to provide food to young people and the elderly.

"We believe that access to food will continue to be a problem for some people in the district and we are now starting work on a longer-term vision for tackling that with Good Food Oxfordshire, using our influence and our connections in the local area to make a real difference."

Eligible organisations can find out more about the community food organisation grants by searching on www.cherwell.gov.uk