Project Food has received a number of grants from Devon Community Foundation over the years, to support its work helping people to access nutritious food. These have included grants through our Food, Fuel and More fund.
Last year the charity received a Food, Fuel and More grant of just under £20,000 to provide food support for people with physical and mental disabilities and their families.
As part of the project they delivered regular recipe boxes to people’s homes. These included all the ingredients needed to make a simple, healthy and budget-friendly meal. The individuals and families they worked with were also invited to 1:1 support sessions at Project Food’s premises in Axminster and Ottery St Mary. During these they would spend a morning a week cooking with a Project Food volunteer, and then eating together.
For those with the most acute anxiety or disabilities, Project Food provided further support through its Cooking with Confidence sessions. These small group sessions helped people to develop their skills and knowledge in a supportive environment.
Project Food saw huge demand for its recipe boxes and had to operate a waiting list. Feedback from the recipe box recipients showed that 100 per cent felt more motivated to make healthier choices and more confident in identifying more nutritious food. All recipients surveyed also said that they cooked more at home as a result of the support from Project Food.
An unintended outcome was the reach beyond the targeted families, as many shared the recipes with friends and family.
Through the Cooking with Confidence sessions Project Food worked with people facing a wide range of challenges, including an older man with learning difficulties, a young mum in a mother and baby foster placement, and a young autistic man with mental health issues.
Cathy* was another person who joined the Cooking with Confidence sessions after being referred by her local social prescribing service.
Cathy had a number of food-related issues going back to her childhood which meant that she found it very hard to manage food planning and was eating a poorly balanced diet, which made her diet-related issues worse.
Working with Project Food’s cook, Annie, Cathy’s confidence grew over the weeks as she was introduced to new ingredients and cooking techniques.
Cathy said: “It has been baby steps but I am much more confident in following a recipe. Annie was extremely helpful and non-judgemental and would help me where needed. I can’t wait to try some of the dishes on my own.”
She added that she now eats a healthy balanced meal at least twice a week and has the confidence to swap ingredients to suit her needs.
When asked what her future aspirations were after attending the Project Food sessions, Cathy said: “I would like to be able to plan a week’s menu and shop for it appropriately. I would also like to reduce the amount of food I throw away.”
We have further Food, Fuel and More funding available over the winter of 2024/25.
*Name has been changed.
