Sainsbury's Wigan

We are a community project in Wigan dedicated to reducing the amount of edible wasted food reaching landfill. We intercept surplus edible waste food and make it available to our community through our cafes and outlets. In addition we provide cooking classes and educational programs and work with schools and local organisations to educate people about food waste reduction. Although we often support people who need extra help, we are open to everyone. All support is beneficial, including financial help, as well as any food that we can use. 😄

Our community pantry helps local people access affordable food while reducing food waste by redistributing surplus food intercepted from a variety of sources. We are passionate about rescuing good food that would otherwise be discarded and ensuring it benefits people within our community instead. The pantry operates on a low-cost membership basis, with a £5 annual membership fee and £3 per shop (maximum of two shops per week). Members can choose from a wide range of food, helping families and individuals stretch their budgets while maintaining dignity and choice. As well as supporting people with food, we aim to create a welcoming and inclusive community space. Last year, we refurbished and extended our building to better serve local people and recently opened a weekly Pay-As-You-Feel Café. The café is already proving to be a popular and valued space where people can enjoy affordable meals, meet others, and access support in a warm and friendly environment. Everything we do is volunteer-led and rooted in community, sustainability, and supporting local people through challenging times.

The Brick is a small charity that delivers big results for the community it serves. As its name suggests, it provides a safe, solid building block for people in crisis to begin to construct a new life and become valuable members of society. Since it began life in 2008, The Brick has become a real force for social change in Wigan Borough. The charity’s original aim was to support homeless people and help them make the transition from the streets back into independent living. The Brick’s remit has developed and evolved significantly over the years and it adopts an holistic approach to supporting people in need. The organisation seeks not just to help get people out of crisis but to transforms lives through training and work-experience opportunities that lead to real independence. In a typical week The Brick sees nearly 200 people who need help with issues such as financial hardship, fuel poverty, homelessness and domestic violence. It speaks to more than twice this number over the phone. It delivers 150 food parcels, serves 50 hot lunches and provides training opportunities for more than 30 people. The Brick is seen as an honest broker between its clients and the statutory service providers both in the borough and beyond. Working closely with other public services, The Brick has become a fundamental part of the care and enablement pathway for people in crisis in the borough. The organisation has attracted a diverse range of volunteers who know that in order for the community to thrive, each individual member of that community must thrive. Ultimately, The Brick provides the fresh hope of a brighter future to those who are, for a variety of reasons, struggling with their current circumstances.