Choice Housing makes £5,000 donation to Belfast Social Supermarket 

One of Northern Ireland’s largest housing providers has renewed its commitment to tackling food poverty by making a £5,000 donation to support the life-changing work of one Belfast social supermarket.

A community-driven initiative that aims to reduce food and hygiene poverty, Ashton Community Trust will use the cash to support families that struggle to pay for high food costs. Offering a safe and stigma-free space, people can browse – and purchase – a comprehensive range of items.

A proportion of Choice Housing’s donation will help people transition out of food poverty through cooking and jobs clubs, with benefits and debt management advice also being made available.

Commenting on Choice’s commitment to tackling the real problem of food poverty, Carol Ervine, Choice Housing’s Group Director of Tenant and Client Services, said: “Social supermarkets perform fantastic work to ensure the most vulnerable people in society do not go without food.

“Many of these support services are finding it challenging to meet their overheads and many rely on multiple funding streams to continue to be viable, and with many competing for a limited pot of funding, it can be increasingly challenging to secure funding. These donations will really help.”

The money given to the Ashton Community Trust will support the Pantry Programme. Comprising a social supermarket and community fridge, it first opened its doors in the Spring of 2022. Located on Belfast’s Churchill Street, families are referred from a wide range of agents such as schools, GP surgeries and community organisations, Housing Executive patch managers and other food banks.

The project works directly with some 80 families per annum, according to its Operations Manager Fionnuala Black, and they each attend the social supermarket for a period of 12 weeks. For a small fee, they can avail of approximately £45 worth of food, personal hygiene, and cleaning supplies.

“The Social Supermarket is in the third year of operation and can support 80 families yearly,” said Fionnuala, “and the Community Fridge is also in its third year of operation and can support anyone experiencing food insecurity. Ashton would like to thank Choice Housing for this donation and say how pleased we are to be able to partner with them in assisting them to support their tenants.”