This project was developed through collaborating with Asda to provide aid to 10 families struggling during a period of inflation and cost of living crisis.
The aim of this project was to ensure members in society and within our community who were struggling with making necessary food and household purchases were provided with financial aid so that they were able to provide food and necessities to themselves and their families within their households. This project was organised by a team of 5 volunteers who were each paired with two individual families that they would take grocery shopping once a fortnight. Through previous projects and donations by Asda, this project was fairly straightforward to organize and actualise.
Through the support of Asda and dedicated volunteers, select families within the community were identified as in need of support, individuals were also able to visit the Supporting Sisters office to provide their personal information and details if they were in need of this support. Within the budget provided by Asda, 10 families were selected and paired with volunteers, they were then able to fortnightly visit a supermarket store to choose and buy their necessities and culturally appropriate food. Through the process of being paired with a volunteer, the families were also educated and informed on effective techniques of identifying the best purchases to make such as being taught affordable and financially helpful ways of substituting an item for a less expensive, more affordable and unbranded alternative. This provided the families with the ability to make more purchases with the financial aid provided.
This project was evidently proven to be a success as many families struggling within the current cost of living crisis were provided with relief through Supporting Sisters and Asda. This not only allowed adults and children to be fed and cared for properly but also allowed all members within the family to no longer experience stressful, anxious or overwhelming feelings in regards to being able to purchase necessities and food. Due to the outcome of this project, the organisation of Supporting Sisters and its volunteers aim to continue collaborative work with companies to further expand projects such as this which recognise groups of individuals struggling within our community and providing them with the appropriate aid and support they may be struggling to find elsewhere.
