An ice cream van in Liverpool is offering frozen food, soup, toiletries, and vegetables at lower prices than supermarkets. The van is the brainchild of Michelle Roach, who set up community interest company New Beginnings, Improving Lives just before the pandemic. Roach also runs a community store, mental health support groups, and an emergency food bank. The 30-year-old van visits some of Liverpool’s most deprived areas, selling surplus food from supermarkets and donations at lower prices.
Since its launch in August 2022, the van has already fed almost 30,000 people. Roach was inspired to launch the project because of her personal experience living on the breadline. When her son was seven months old, she was diagnosed with cancer and had already been made unemployed. She says she wanted to make sure no one else would face the “awful hardship” she went through.
Despite its success, Roach is worried about the van’s future. New Beginnings relies on the Household Support Fund, a government grant given to local authorities which distribute it to families in need and groups that help them. The government has renewed it for six months, but there has been no commitment to extend it beyond the autumn. Roach fears she may have to cut services or schemes without the money which “doesn’t bear thinking about.”
The driver of the ice cream van used to be a volunteer for Michelle before becoming a driver. He has been there since the start and has seen the difference the van has made. The van is now known as the only one operating as a food pantry in England. It has become a “godsend” for people on low incomes like pensioner Kevin Crilly. He says it also gives people a sense of community and the chance to come out and meet new people. The van has made a massive difference to a lot of people’s lives
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