FOOD vouchers and parcels, community meals, cookery workshops and energy and benefits advice sessions are among the help being provided by charities and voluntary groups thanks to almost £280,000 in grants from Dorset Community Foundation and BCP Council.
The latest round of grants from the BCP Food and Energy Support Fund is supporting 38 groups across the area helping people cope with the cost of living, using money from the government’s Household Support Fund. The grants will be supporting projects running from June 2025 to the end of March 2026.
Among the recipients is Bournemouth Foodbank, which is using a £10,000 grant to provide food parcels for guests at its Garden Rooms Café in Haviland Road every Monday to Friday. Partnerships and Fundraising Manager Rhiannon Argent said the grant will be invaluable in helping to support its clients into financial resilience.
She said having the café as a welcoming space makes collecting food parcels a more dignified experience. “We recognise that foodbanks need to offer far more than just food and that providing a range of additional advice and support, including budgeting and debt advice helps to build resilience and address some of the factors that can lead to food insecurity,” she said. “We want to reduce the need for individuals and families to keep needing to use the foodbank.”
Poole Communities Trust also received £10,000 from the fund and will use it to help cover the running costs of it two community food stores on Turlin Moor and Bourne Estate. Trustee Judith Bacon said the stores, which support 125 people a week, are vital to the communities there.
“We hope this will continue to reduce a lot of stress and pressure on people who are struggling financially in the current climate,” she said. “Both Bourne and Turlin Moor are communities that look out for each other and as the model of the stores is ‘for the community’ people have said they feel less embarrassed to come along and join.”
We hope this will continue to reduce a lot of stress and pressure on people who are struggling financially in the current climate
Grounded Community will run cookery workshops, increase the hours of its food pantry co-ordinator, distribute food vouchers and hampers, organise community meals and fund six months’ Fareshare excess food delivery from supermarkets with its £10,000 grant.
Volunteer and Fundraising Co-ordinator Sharon Brinkman said: “Our team is on the frontline of services in Boscombe and our community continues to experience significant food insecurity.
“In 2024 we intercepted and redistributed 60,000kgs of supermarket surplus and each week we are feeding over 100 individual households and providing 75 additional people per week with emergency food.
“The grant will allow us to reduce our waiting list for food support and ensure we can continue to operate seven days per week.”
Cllr Sandra Moore, BCP Council cabinet member for Communities and Partnerships, said: “It is great to see so many voluntary and community sector organisations and groups benefitting from the fund.
“We really value the partnership between us and Dorset Community Foundation who help administer the funding from the Household Support Fund. We want to make sure that those who need it get the right support and we couldn’t do it without these community groups.
“We would urge any community organisations who are looking to help run vital winter support services to apply for the next round of funding starting in September.”
Dorset Community Foundation Chief Executive Grant Robson said: “Once again we are very thankful to BCP Council for entrusting us with getting this money to the places where it will make the most impact.
“We have managed to fund 38 groups who are doing amazing work in their communities and meeting the needs of people who are still struggling with the impact of the cost of living. Each grant will make a huge difference and we look forward to hearing how they not only meet the immediate need but also help people to become more resilient and face the future with more hope and confidence.”
The next grant round will support projects running winter warm spaces or other winter specific provision with grants of up to £6,500. Applications open on September 8 and the deadline to apply is midday on October 6.
Find out more about the BCP Food and Energy Support Fund here.
See the impact of last winter’s funding round here.
Full list of groups funded: AIMCommunity, Bournemouth Churches Housing Association, Bournemouth Community Church, Bournemouth Foodbank, Bournemouth YMCA, Christchurch Community Partnership, Christchurch Foodbank, Citizens Advice Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, Coastline Community Trust, EDAS, Faithworks Wessex, Grounded Community, HealthBus Trust, Home Start Wessex, Hope Community Church, Hope Housing, Training and Support Ltd, Immaculate Conception and St Joseph’s Church, International Care Network Ltd, It’s All About Culture (IAAC), Kinson and West Howe Foodbank, Lovechurch, Overcomers Outreach, Poole Communities Trust, Poole Community Exchange, Poole Foodbank, Poole Waste Not Want Not, PramaLife, Routes to Roots, Safe and Sound Dorset, Samee, Somerford Youth & Community Centre, St. Thomas Church PCC, The Friendly Food Club, Townsend Community Association, Unity in Vision, Water Lily Project, West Howe Community Enterprises and Winton and Parkstone Community Pantry (WPCP).
