The cost of living crisis is being laid bare on a Stoke-on-Trent estate every week – with families queuing for food handouts.

Eighty families are queuing outside Bentilee Family Hub, on Dawlish Drive, every Tuesday afternoon waiting for The Bread and Butter Thing to open.

It provides 80 recipients-a-week with at least £35 worth of food – for just £8.50. The programme launched on the estate last month and anyone's first food parcel is free of charge.

Jasmine Wootton has got twins and a toddler and has just finished maternity leave. The 25-year-old said: "It's just one less worry about the cost of a big shop when they are making it so affordable." 

Jaswine Wootton, 25, has three children and says the charity gives her one less thing to worry about (LDRS).

Pensioner Shirley Picken has also been queuing for the food handouts. The 72-year-old said: "When you walk around the supermarket you walk around with your calculator – so this is a godsend."

Now The Bread and Butter Thing has hailed its food club a success. It provides customers with a bag of chilled food as well as a bag of fruit and veg and a bag of cupboard items. Food is sourced from manufacturers, retailers and farmers, and everything is surplus stock which hasn't been taken to a supermarket.

Families queue outside Bentilee Family Hub, on Dawlish Drive, every Tuesday afternoon (LDRS).

A charity spokesman said: "Each week we provide our members with at least £35 of food for just £8.50. The food comes from supermarket surplus, food factories, and farms. It's good quality, edible food but is not needed by them, so they give it to us.

"This means our bags vary from day to day depending on what's available but you will be saving money and getting to try new foods. Most members feel that they save around £25 a week and just 'top up' from the supermarket when they've seen what's in our bags each week.

"Because we don't let people choose what's in their bags, we can afford to provide our service at a really low price, lower than you'll find elsewhere. And you'll always be paying less than the shops."

Members are sent a text on a Sunday night and the first 80 people to reply land the bargain food (LDRS).

Members of the Bentilee club are sent a text message on a Sunday night asking them if they want one of the food parcels on the following Tuesday. The first 80 to reply land the food. Anyone who misses out is then sent a text message to get a priority slot for the following week. The service is not means-tested.

Volunteer Sarah Degg-Wright said: "A lot of people are shocked at the quality of the food and the fact that it's long dated. I think a lot of people were expecting it to be near its use by date, like a foodbank.

"There are a very small amount of people who have been every week. Most people are new each week but I think that because it's so over-subscribed. I have put in for it every week and I have been turned down.

"It makes you feel amazing to see the people you are helping. It makes you feel good because it's really good stuff. I think it's brilliant. I just wish they could support more on a weekly basis."

The Bread and Butter Thing has hailed its food club a success (LDRS).

Alpha Academies Trust – which operates schools across Stoke-on-Trent – has helped to facilitate the Bentilee scheme.

Early life worker Becky Booth said: "We have had people crying because they are so grateful. We have had so much positive feedback about it. It's been brilliant – the number of volunteers we've had – it's the community coming together to support the community. We are going to have people coming in to talk about debt and money in the future – and we can promote the groups we have in the community."

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