Warrington Community Grocery celebrates one year of helping almost 1,500 families

WARRINGTON Community Grocery today turns one-year-old and is celebrating a year of helping to keep almost 1,500 families fed.

For the past 12 months, local residents who are finding it tough to put food on the table due to the soaring cost of food have been able to make sure they don’t go hungry by heading to the Community Grocery where they can shop for just £4.
Saving on average £20 per shopping trip, Community Grocery members not only get to fill their baskets with food they choose from across the store. The items on offer include fresh fruit and vegetables, tinned goods, baked items, frozen food, sanitary and household items. But as well as this they get access to a range of support courses, such as cookery classes and money management advice, too.
The impact that the Community Grocery is having on lives is huge. One member recently said: “I would like to express my gratitude to Warrington Community Grocery, and all the people who run it. I, and many others, have really struggled for the past couple of years, physically, mentally and financially. I came along to the opening and the welcome I received was brilliant and has been ever since. The atmosphere is peaceful, calming, and the staff are patient and kind. I look forward to every visit. Thank you from the bottom of my heart, as it has helped me more than you know.”

To celebrate their first birthday, the grocery is hosting a special party for the whole community on Wednesday 24 May 2023. Taking place from 10am – 4pm, come down to LifeChurch Warrington on Cotswold Road WA2 9SE to enjoy the bouncy castle, ice cream van, café, live music and lots of giveaways for free. And what party would be complete without cake?
Andy Hawthorne, OBE, Chief Executive and Founder of The Message Trust said: “What a special year it’s been. We’ve loved partnering with LifeChurch Warrington to open the Community Grocery and getting to know the local community, to provide those who would have otherwise go hungry with access to affordable food at a time when the cost of living has soared. I can’t wait to see what the next year brings. Happy birthday Warrington Community Grocery.”
Sarah Dewhirst, Senior Leader at LifeChurch Warrington said: “As a church, it has been a privilege to partner with the Warrington Community Grocery, seeing different people and families come into onto the church site and leaving with big smiles. Getting to know our neighbours through cooking lessons, debt relief courses, tots groups and community meals in the church has been a highlight for us this past year. Happy 1^st Birthday Warrington Community Grocery!”

Membership costs just £5 per year and members can then visit multiple times a week
choosing their own shopping for their families.
The Warrington store is just one of 22 Community Groceries across the UK that are helping keep over 43,000 families fed.
To find out more about Warrington Community Grocery head to www.communitygrocery.org.uk