PEOLE are feeling the cost of living crisis in their weekly food shop and energy bills.

In response, Crediton Foodbank, the Boniface Rotary Club of Crediton and Adams Home Hardware are working together to provide local people with free slow cookers to help reduce their bills and provide hearty, filling meals for people most in need of support.

A slow cooker costs just 6p per hour to run, compared to an electric oven which costs more than £2 per hour.

Alongside the slow cookers, recipients will be provided with a bundle of core ingredients suitable for several meals, plus a slow cooker recipe booklet.

And, in the weekly food parcels that Foodbank clients receive, the Foodbank will give out all the ingredients to make one of the recipes.

This week the first of 20 initial recipients of a slow cooker received their cooker and ingredients for some recipes.

Chris Parsons, Crediton Foodbank Chair, explained: “We would like to thank the Boniface Rotary Club of Crediton for giving us the initial set up money and David Adams from Adams Home Hardware for sourcing the cookers and providing them at cost price.

“We hope people can use these cookers to make healthy, cheap meals, all at an electricity cost of 6p an hour.”

People keen to support the initiative can “sponsor a slow cooker”, and help the Foodbank provide even more support to local people. The sum of £50 will cover the cost of a slow cooker, a core ingredients pack, recipe book and ingredients for four slow cooker recipes for a family, whilst £30 will provide the same for a single person.

To sponsor a slow cooker, please get in touch with the Foodbank by emailing: [email protected]  or calling 07740 202721, or you can visit the website and donate there: https://creditonfoodbank.org.uk/ .

The Foodbank aims to start distributing the slow cooker packs this month (November), in time for Christmas.

The more donations it receives, the more packs the Foodbank will be able to buy which will support local people over the winter.

Chris added: “Demand for the Foodbank is huge and is increasing. And so, as well as the slow cooker initiative, we are also seeking support for our ‘Springboard’ initiative.”

Chris said that to respond to the increase in demand for the Foodbank, the Springboard initiative aims to provide a dedicated Community Support Advisor.

This new role will enable the Foodbank to not just to give out food parcels, but also to prevent homelessness and unmanageable debt, improve health and wellbeing, and enable local people to move out of poverty and rebuild their lives.

The Foodbank is approaching funding bodies, but is also looking for businesses, organisations and individuals to sponsor this project and become a Springboard Project Partner.

If, like some, you do not need the £400 government Energy Bills Support payment, perhaps you might consider donating that to the Springboard initiative?

If you or your business might be able to help, please contact: [email protected] .