Volunteers from a Battersea social supermarkets say the branches are needed more than ever as people face increasing financial pressures.
Rackets Cubed extended their social supermarket service from Roehampton to Battersea in October and have hundreds of self-referred visitors each week across both centres.
The social supermarket offers £40 worth of shopping for £4, and s can choose what they want to purchase across food and household items.
Hub volunteer Rosie said: “You can see the positive impact on the community, quite a few families come in here to top up their weekly shop with a good price for the essentials that they need.”
She added attendance has doubled in the past three months at the Battersea centre due to the cost-of-living crisis, winter fuel cuts, and word of mouth.
Hub manager Natalie Price said: “We have had a lot of people come in who are struggling and aren’t able to give their kids a nutritious breakfast or a hot meal.
“With the cost of living and the winter fuel cuts people are needing us more.”
She explained the social supermarket model was designed to give people in need choice and dignity, and to reduce food waste as individuals can select the food they want, rather than be given items that may end up going to waste.
According to the Felix Project, a quarter of working families in London regularly struggle to feed their children.
The charity rescues surplus food that would otherwise be wasted and redistributes it to community organisations, including Rackets Cubed.
The Rackets Cubed social supermarkets go beyond providing food and deliver community events such as weekly Community Cuppas, and monthly Solidarity Suppa meals.
They also partner with City Harvest, who rescue surplus food from farms, manufacturers, and sellers that would otherwise go to waste and donate it to the project.
Hub volunteer Michal said: “People coming to the hub are often struggling, and helping them is really satisfying as you can see the impact.
“We try to look after people and offer nutritious food like fruits and vegetables, as when people have less money this is something they often have to cut down on buying.”
The centre operates with an online booking system and person must have an area postcode to shop there, ensuring the help reaches the people who need it the most.
In the first room, there are cupboard items or dry goods, and a second is full of of fruits and vegetables.
Rackets Cubed initially launched in 2016 delivering weekly racket sports, maths lessons and nutritious meals for schools in Roehampton.
They set up the social supermarket in March 2020 as a response to the Covid-19 pandemic, when they couldn’t deliver the usual services to local schools.
The charity initially reached 60 families and now s over 200 in Roehampton alone.
Rackets Cubed is one of the Mayor of Wandsworth’s three chosen charities this year, along with Tooting Community Kitchen and Home-Start Wandsworth.
All pictures: Abigail Akerman
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