Affordable food initiative in Burnham to support local residents
Maldon & District CVS, working in partnership with Burnham-on-Crouch Town Council, Burnham United Reformed Church, Sainsbury’s and Burnham Surgery, has launched a temporary Social Supermarket in Burnham-on-Crouch to help residents access affordable food and household essentials during a period of reduced local supermarket provision.
The initiative has been established following the closure of the town’s Co-op store and ahead of the opening of the new Sainsbury’s supermarket. The Pop-Up Social Supermarket will operate from the car park off Foundry Lane every Tuesday and Thursday from 9am to 12 noon, providing a convenient and affordable shopping option for local people.
The service is open to everyone, with no referral required, and shoppers can pay by cash or card. Residents are encouraged to bring their own shopping bags.
Maldon & District CVS is leading the project in conjunction with its partners to ensure that local people continue to have access to affordable food and everyday essentials while the town awaits the opening of the new supermarket. The temporary service will run through the summer and is expected to continue until the beginning of October.
A spokesperson for Maldon & District CVS said:
“At Maldon & District CVS we have been operating our low-cost pop-up Social Supermarket at Burnham URC for some time and this has been well received by the community. We are delighted to be part of this new collaboration with Sainsburys, URC and Burnham Town Council. We have worked together to meet the needs of the Burnham Community with essential affordable food supplies while the Co-op transitions to a Sainsburys store to ensure this essential interim provision is in place for the people of Burnham.”
The Pop-Up Social Supermarket builds on Maldon & District CVS’s commitment to supporting local communities and tackling food insecurity across the district, while bringing together voluntary, public and private sector partners to respond to local needs.