Tackling poverty

Footprints in the Community

Footprints in the Community was set up in 2010 by Ruth Fox following an `adult gap year' in which she travelled around Australia and saw a variety of community initiatives run by churches throughout the country. On return, she set up a community café based in a local church in Redcar. Since then the organisation has grown, driven always by the needs of the local community. The café has moved out of the church and onto the High Street in Redcar and is now open six days a week.

Other projects it runs include:

• Redcar Area Foodbank, supported by the Trussell Trust, it has grown to provide emergency food parcels to people in food poverty from eight distribution centres across the town.
• New Start provides second hand, good quality kitchen utensils and bedding to foodbank clients.
• First Steps distributes baby clothing and equipment to families in need.
• Lunch Box Project provides packed lunches, crafts, fun and games during the summer school holidays.
• Men's Shed, a typical shed working environment where men take part in a variety of activities of their choice, including woodwork and leatherwork.
• Women's Shed, based on the Men's Shed concept, the Women's Shed provides support and training to women wanting to learn DIY skills and participate in artisan activities.
• The Next Step Shop offers longer-term support for those people who are struggling to feed themselves or their families. Members pay £3 per visit and can choose ten items, equivalent to approximately £12 worth of food.

Footprints In the Community were awarded £27,771 over three years (£11,759 year one, £8,609 year two and £7,403 in year three) for the Next Step Shop and food bank.