Across Middlesbrough, a team of volunteers is helping those struggling against the cost of living crisis to stay afloat.
The White Feather Project is a social enterprise with multiple 'hubs' across the town, and their mission is to eliminate food deprivation in their local community.
With stats from the End Child Poverty Coalition showing that one in every three Teeside children is living in poverty, the group certainly has their work cut out to support everyone from school children to healthcare workers.
Karen Beck, Lynn Davies and Victoria Whitaker are three of the dedicated volunteers supporting communities in the most deprived areas of Middlesbrough.
They operate a grocery store on Longlands Road - where food is sold at a discount rate, or where free food bundles can be picked up.
They even make up packed lunches for children during school holidays and provide 'new baby' bundles for parents, including a Moses basket, formula and nappies, amongst other things.
Increasingly, the people being forced to turn to food hubs are working full time - but with utilities, food bills, rent and transport costs all increasing, often groceries are the first to be sacrificed.
Karen recalled the recent story of a regular customer, who used the store as a way to support his son: "A few weeks ago, he came to us and said he wouldn't be able to buy anything, as he had no money at all.
"When we put together a basket of food for him and his son, he was in tears. That's the kind of reaction you don't often get from an older gentleman."
Many of the people that they help have nowhere else to turn. Lynn, who has volunteered at the White Feather Project since the first lockdown, explained: "There's really no criteria here."
Karen added: "We have seen demand go through the roof over the last few months, especially from people who are employed."
Read more: Middlesbrough house prices: Average house prices rise by £2,000
One of their customers explains that even though she works full-time as a nurse, the cost of living has got to be more than she can deal with on her own.
She explained: "A few weeks ago, me and my colleagues decided we would have to start going to food banks. When I do go shopping, I am always searching for own-brand products, which I never had to do before."
Joan, a regular customer, explained that the White Feather project is more than a grocery store to her - it gives her a chance to get out of the house and keep loneliness at bay.
"I really look forward to visiting. It is really handy because it is so close, but it also gives me chance to escape the house for a bit."
Spending a morning in one of their food hubs really hammers home how much work these volunteers put into keeping their communities afloat - not just buying food, packing and delivering food bundles, but also being a compassionate ear for those who are struggling.
Read more: North East foodbanks say people are 'crying' in queues
For volunteers, acting as a surrogate therapist and social worker can be a heavy emotional burden to bear, but allows them to give back to their community and support those most in need.
Though the White Feather Project does receive donations from businesses such as Farm Foods, they have to purchase the majority of the food in their shop from supermarkets.
As everyone is tightening their belts, the Project is having to deal with an ever-increasing number of clients, whilst donations fall.
Every fortnight, each hub will spend over £400 on food, which is then sold at a discount rate, meaning that the Project never makes any profit, and relies on grants or donations, and desperately needs financial and food donations to keep up their work.
Read next:
- Paranormal investigation at Black Swan Inn with haunting discoveries
- York jeweller's incident in Coney Street - police update
- Blyth Valley MP Ian Levy backing Boris Johnson as Tory leader
If you want to read more great stories, why not subscribe to The Northern Echo for as little as £1.25 a week. Click here.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here