Charity offers 'stigma-free' food poverty service

Charity offers 'stigma-free' food poverty service9 minutes agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleJane DouglasSouth West, OkehamptonBBCRebecca Green has been involved in food projects in Okehampton and across the country for 30 yearsA charity shop has opened with the aim of reducing the stigma around food poverty and pledging to offer good food, dignity and choice.The Affordable Food Shop in Okehampton, Devon, also allowed people who would normally depend on the town's food bank to choose items for free using credit vouchers, rather than relying on pre‑packed parcels, bosses said.The project is led by Rebecca Green, founder of the Okehampton Community Kitchen and Foodbank, who said she believed the model was a first in the UK.Its goal was to reduce stigma, ease pressure on food banks and support people who were struggling, she said.Example of food for sale outside The Affordable Food Shop in OkehamptonMs Green has been involved in food projects in Okehampton and across the country for around 30 years. She runs the town's Community Kitchen, food bank and the Affordable Food Shop with the help of 16 volunteers aged between 14 and 79.The shop, based in premises leased from the Royal British Legion, sells fresh and tinned food, alongside household goods at low prices, with no judgement. Staff said it operated like a charity clothes shop but for food. Stock includes surplus items bought at reduced cost from organisations such as Fareshare South West.Maggy Whitehouse, Trustee, Okehampton Community Kitchen and FoodbankRebecca Green said: "I come from a background where we did not have food security. I know how much something like this would have meant to my mum. "I lost my mum when she was 38, so just knowing other families don't have to go through what she went through motivates me."She added that, while traditional food parcels were still available, many people now preferred to shop using vouchers.She said: "They can come in, u...