Food Thrive!

We started this project in a very small way in 2011, offering food parcels.
We created our food co-operative in 2019. We now feed about 250 local clients each week (including dependents), offering one large bag of food per adult per week. Families can take more. We ask for a small donation (we recommend £3.00) which helps us cover our own cots — the food itself, electricity for our fridges and freezers, cleaning, bags, etc.).

Food Thrive! aims to distribute affordable food in ways that can move our clients from crisis provision toward sustainability: planning ahead also makes lives bearable. We also aim to enhance health in a part of Oldham for which health is a key form of deprivation.

Offering quality, nutritious food at a Holiday Thrive food club in August 2022.

We aim to facilitate food distribution across Borough of Oldham, with some members of Barnabas Thrive! sitting on relevant coordinating panels. We collaborate with Oldham Council and satellite committees and partners. The aim of such coordination is solving day-to-day inequalities of distribution and hence sharing, and therefore decreasing waste, but also dependency.

When

We offer food each Monday and Friday 12:00 noon — 4:00 pm, after sessions of Women Thrive!, immediately after each session of Holiday Thrive!, and by appointment. Please do not go to the Vicarage. We do not keep food in St Barnabas Vicarage.

Where

We house the project in four modern, bespoke rooms within the Barnabas Centre on Arundel Street, Clarksfield. If you’re using satellite navigation, please use the postcode OL4 1NL.

The smallest room contains a walk-in fridge and two large freezers. The largest room offers fresh fruit and vegetables, breakfast cereals, biscuits, tins, jars. We also have a warehouse and storeroom to accommodate our stock of food, and ensure we can feed more local clients.

Principal sponsors

For freezers and fridges: The National Lottery and Forever Manchester and Fareshare.

Constructing the food rooms: Viridor-Credits and Manchester Guardian Society Charitable Trust.

New storage room (refurbished old store room) to facilitate the delivery of Food Thrive! The National Lottery.

Partners

We wish to thank the following

Fareshare

Greggs Foundation and Greggs, Tesco Extra, Huddersfield Road

Oasis Academy, Leesbrook Campus

Oldham Food Bank

One Stop Community Fund and One Stop on Lees Road

Further details

Please contact our community worker, MaryAnne, on (07492) 849 158.

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Page last updated 13 October 2023