The Community Basket

Service

22 Jan

Tell us what you (or your business) does?
The Community Basket CIC is a volunteer led Social Enterprise set up with the aim of alleviating poverty in North Liverpool (L4 and L5) through the provision of food and household items for free or discount prices.

What are passions and ambitions of the business or organisation?
The ethos of the Community Basket is to reduce stigma for struggling families and community members by creating a community food project that everyone can access, that doesn’t make people justify their need. As a result, access to the Basket is not means tested or restricted to particular groups. Unlike food banks requiring vouchers and with limits to how many times they can be accessed, anyone who feels they will benefit from free or discounted food can access the Community Basket, helping to address long-term and deep-rooted issues of hunger, malnutrition and ill health which help maintain cycles of disadvantage.

Why is it important that your business is in Anfield/Everton?
There were no accesible provisions when we started, other than a foodbank at Christ Church. We would like to releave the pressure on foodbanks if possible, but also give everyone in L4/L5 the opportunity to benefit from the discounted food we supply weekly.

What does this neighbourhood mean to you?
Everything.

What advice would you give a new, local person starting up their own business or organisation in Anfield/Everton?
Keep going, perseverance is key.

What are your aspirations for the area / what would you like the neighbourhood to look like in 5 or 10 years' time?
The waste lands to have buildings, the houses to be done up, and to have more families living here as the regeneration originally stated.

Something people might not know about me…
I have worked for the people of this area for 6 years now, as i worked in a previous local charity. But 1 fabulous year solo as my own CIC and I'll continue till I have no fight left in me!