AN incredible charity is helping reduce food wastage whilst supporting the homeless and families in need during the cost-of-living crisis.

The First Stop Centre, in Bocking End, Braintree, offers community support to the vulnerable in the Braintree district.

Its Community Fridge resource is a service where the First Stop Centre team give out fresh goods, cakes, frozen food items, and more, every Tuesday and Thursday from 10.30am until 11am.

The charity, which has a core team of six individuals and a volunteer group of a dozen, works with restaurants and supermarkets such as Nando’s, KFC, Pret, Sainsburys, Tesco and Lidl.

Braintree and Witham Times: Location - The First Stop Centre where members of the public congregate outside for the Community FridgeLocation - The First Stop Centre where members of the public congregate outside for the Community Fridge (Image: Newsquest)

Braintree and Witham Times: Fridge - One of the fridges at First Stop Centre before the goods are packed up and given outFridge - One of the fridges at First Stop Centre before the goods are packed up and given out (Image: Newsquest)

The team collects goods which are going out of date from the businesses and then hands them out to those in need who turn up in the morning.

First Stop Centre manager Rachael Stone, who has been with the charity since 1995, said: “Typically, everybody that comes to the door will get three bags.

“There'll be a bag which has frozen items in, so some things can be frozen when we collect them, there's a bag which has cakes and treats as well.

Braintree and Witham Times: Supplies - some examples of bags that are given out to those in needSupplies - some examples of bags that are given out to those in need (Image: Newsquest)

Braintree and Witham Times: Put to good use - Some of the bread that would have been thrown out by the supermarketsPut to good use - Some of the bread that would have been thrown out by the supermarkets (Image: Newsquest)

 “We’ll have a bag dedicated to the fresh items like your salads, vegetables, fruit, it’s a real range.”

The Community Fridge was held every day during the Covid pandemic but has since been reduced to the two days.

Rachael and her team are now seeing a rising demand for the service due to the cost-of-living crisis.

She said: “We've noticed, and we've reported at various meetings that we've had with with other agencies, an increase in the amount of people that are coming.

“So perhaps a few months ago, people might have come at the end of the month when they didn't have any money.

“Now they're coming every week.

"The kinds of people that come in are different.

“We're also getting people that have lower paying jobs, whereas before it was primarily those that that were unemployed, we are definitely seeing an increase.”

To find out more about the First Stop Centre and its Community Fridge, head to firststopcentre.com.