Herbies Hut
What is Herbies Hut?
Herbie's Hut is a pay as you can shop that opened it's doors in November 2021. It is situated on the school site, next to the school canteen. We provide a range of quality food items, including fresh, frozen and tins to support the local community. We also operate a weekly food club, working closely with charities including Fare Share and Family Action.
So why did we set up Herbie's Hut?
During the Covid pandemic and lockdowns we realised how much food poverty was affecting our community and how isolated some of our families had become. During lockdown we distributed/delivered over 100 meal packs per day to families as part of Cardiff Council's response to the pandemic. Staff members volunteered to do home deliveries, shop for families who were isolating and linked with local charities to provide food hampers. We also worked with Save the Children to provide hygiene packs and much needed cleaning products to over 80 families. When food vouchers were introduced to recipients of free school meals, staff supported families to ensure they could access what they needed to.
The pandemic really opened our eyes to the challenges faced in the community and it didn't end when children returned to school. Inspired by the 'Big Bocs Bwyd' project that was operating in Cadoxton Primary School led by Janet Hayward and Hannah Cogbill, we decided to work with community members and colleagues to provide an accessible pay as you can shop and food club to support our families and local community members. Mrs Hughes, our Office Manager has been superb at securing grants and working with others to make our dream a reality! Herbie's Hut is run by parent and community volunteers who are also utilising and/or gaining key employability skills.
Our vision for Herbie's Hut is simple:
'Great oaks grow from little acorns'.
We want to provide support for our families and community today as well as inspire our children and others for the future.
Our aims
We have fantastic plans to develop Herbie's Hut even further so please visit us on Twitter @Herbie's Hut to keep up with the exciting news.
If you would like to become a member of the weekly Food Club or feel that you could contribute or support in our Herbie's Hut project, please speak to Mrs Hughes in the office.
Did you know?