Stoke JarSquad

JarSquad’s goal: grow a solidarity economy whilst making communal preserves (and more!) as a squad. In collectively cooking up our shared abundance (of surplus, grown, or foraged food), we spark a rethinking on what we might value/waste/share.

Our idea: develop an offer of creative consultation, community coaching and organizing to get local groups to start their own JarSquad. Working with The Village Hub and their community pantry, we’ve identified a budding food-passionate group in Stoke we’d like to collaborate with, via a series of food-making and food-preservation sessions that centre our ethos of joy, connection, co-learning, sustainability and resilience.

The Knowledge Book Initiative

Our evidence reveals that levels of financial capability in the UK are low. Therefore, by providing enhanced financial capability skills, awareness of energy efficiency, housing rights/responsibilities and tips on tackling the cost-of-living issues, we aim to prevent people from getting into debt and improve their mental health.

Funding will help develop free easy-read resources, available in printed and online versions, that everyone can use. We also aim to deliver free workshops for 6 organisations working with disadvantaged groups. Easy-to-digest sessions within these workshops will especially target young people and individuals with learning disabilities or English as an additional language.

Home Economics – Core Skills for home, life and work!

6 core activities – open to everyone, participants can join weekly workshops to address any of the challenges they face during the cost of living crisis.
Budgeting
Cooking,
DIY
Sewing
Parental Support (Messy Munchkins sessions)
Employment & Careers Advice
Driven by participant input, we will have an adaptable delivery. We have our own premises but also use community facilities to ensure accessibility across Plymouth.
Delivering for over 10 years, with a proven track record. We have a strong membership and following. Workshops have recently finished through cessation of funding. We have a list of EOI’s which shows the ongoing need.

The Kit Bag Project – Is five a day all we need?

Funds acquired will be used to implement our new innovative program which is underpinned by nourishing and educating children and families about the importance of ‘not just’ consuming the five recommended fruit and vegetables a day, and will be delivered through primarily non- referral foodbanks to target the cost of living crisis & holiday hunger including the stigma.
Moreover, the program consists of the promotion of the other five core messages and ‘promoting immunity in the community’ (see below)
1. Hand washing
2. Mental health
3. Nutrition
4. Exercise
5. Climate change (the 5 Rs)

The Village Hub Club

Our need is working with people not for them and to ensure support is proportionate.

We have found the following useful:
Having an Emergency Fund where visitors can access provisions at a local shop
Providing Advice and Support
Sharing information at awareness events – a one stop shop
Paid advertising to reach as many people as possible.
Work with existing partnerships e.g. JarSquad learning to turn surplus food into meals
Upskilling the community by providing training on food hygiene so visitors can make nutritious meals for the community using items from our food larder.

What’s next Stoke?

Onward community drop in activities

We currently run a weekly food aid drop in session that has also gown in to a social gathering opportunity. Apart from supporting people with food items we have become aware of other needs both emotioinal and practical. As part of the drop in we also have Plymouth claiments union who meet every fortnight to support people with benefit advice. We would like to expand with other activities and support to people.

We have had many requests for various other support, both practical and creative and see there is great need. We would like to engauge a community sessional worker.

CityPlym Coummunity SUpport Hub

Our current initiative was launched in December 2019, in response to the needs of our student community. A group of Access to Higher Education students realised that a group of their peers were struggling financially and were often unable to afford basic food items. To address this issue they approached the students union for assistance in establishing a food bank, a project that has developed swiftly and supported many students, particularly during the lockdown period of COVID. In May 2022, due to the additinal services added (honelessness, personal hygiene, young parents, clothing) our initiative was relaunched: CityPlym Community Support Hub.