How the King's new food project will help one Liverpool Community Centre

Joshua Stokes' report on how the King's donation will help Netherley Youth and Community Initiative.

A charity providing lifeline support for those feeling the brunt of the cost of living crisis has received a boost thanks to the King's 75th birthday.

Netherley Youth and Community Initiative (NYCI), in Liverpool, provides free breakfast and after school clubs to around 100 children, giving them a place to eat and socialise.

Organisers say they have noticed a steady rise in those needing help, and the hub is busier than ever.

Now the essential charity is among those who will benefit from a new initiative by King Charles III.

The Coronation Food Project aims to tackle food waste by working with suppliers to save surplus food and donate it to charities and food banks.

Money given by the project to FareShare, which provides NYCI with food, will help feed those who need it at the charity.

For one mum, Emma, NYCI provides essential support for her and her family.

She said: "My children attend Netherley Youth Centre for breakfast club, after school club, and also the youth club.

"When they come here they get a full meal. At breakfast club they get breakfast, at after school club they get tea and at youth club they get certain snacks."

Not only does NYCI provide Emma's children with somewhere to go after school, but it also helps her deal with the cost of living crisis.

Emma said: "Everything’s doubled in price, but bringing my kids here takes quite a burden off."

NYCI pays a small fee to FareShare, and in return receives food and drinks it can give out to those who need it in the Netherley area.

FareShare redistributes surplus food to more than 8,500 charities across the country.

Sharon Williams has worked for NYCI for more than 20 years, and says FareShare allows the organisation to offer free food to children while also freeing up funds for other projects.

She said: "We make a small donation, but that donation is nothing compared to a food shop. The return we get on that donation is probably seven-fold.

"We're a non-profit, so obviously it helps us to save and reduce our services cost wise."

She said: "We make a small donation, but that donation is nothing compared to a food shop. The return we get on that donation is probably seven-fold.

"We're a non-profit, so obviously it helps us to save and reduce our services cost wise."

With the savings introduced from working with Fairshare, NYCI has been able to offer shuttle services to and from children's houses to the centre and schools.

As well as keeping children off the streets, it also provides a necessary lifeline to struggling parents.

Sharon said: "It helps them go into employment, or training, or just support them when they're going through a bad patch."

Sharon also works with parents directly to provide support and advice, including Emma.

Emma said: "Sharon Williams has helped me quite a lot through the years with a lot of things.

"She’s only a phone call away and she helps out as Christmas, she gives hampers out to certain families throughout the community – toy hampers. It helps get a bit of the pressure out of Christmas."

For Sharon, the new funding from the King's project means they'll be able to do more for Netherley.

She said: "It's tough out there. The food has increased probably two or three-fold, so for us FareShare is a Godsend."

A short drive from Netherley is FareShare's Liverpool warehouse, which delivers around 80 kilograms of food a week to 232 community groups across Merseyside and Cheshire.

Regional Manager Ann Dobie said: "Some can be foodbanks, some can be social supermarkets, or breakfast clubs."

The warehouse operates thanks to a mix of paid staff and volunteers that work together to package food and make sure it's delivered to where it can do the most good.

Ann said: "We have 82 active volunteers every week. We've got drivers, we've got warehouse assistants, and people that go and actually collect the food."

In recent years, FareShare has seen a sharp increase in the amount of food it is being asked to provide.

Ann said: "The demand for FareShare has really increased. When the pandemic hit we had additional food available through initiatives... Those initiatives dropped off but the demand for food hasn't. People still have needs."

Thanks to the King's donation, FareShare will be able to increase its food surplus and help more charities and communities.

Ann said: "When we delivered the news to the people on site, they felt it was for them. Their work had been acknowledged and recognised and that was great.

"I think as a volunteer sometimes you come in and you don't feel seen, so this is massive."

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