Kerry is a mum of one, living in the Faraday ward of Southwark. She has a two year old child and has been receiving Rose Vouchers for three months.
“It’s easier to feed your kids chicken nuggets; they’re cheaper. Healthy food is more expensive.” Kerry is fortunate that she has the skills and passion to make freshly cooked meals for her family, but she recognises that many of her friends with children in her neighbourhood don’t have this knowledge. “The risk of spending money on different food, such as a wider variety of vegetables”, she explains, “puts many off trying new things”.
As an advocate for home cooked meals, Kerry has been sharing details of the Rose Voucher for Fruit & Veg project with her friends, promoting how this scheme helps provide the extra cash to risk making those different healthier purchases.
“This approach is different, it gives you independence and you don’t feel like it’s a hand out, like at a food bank.”
A key element of the project for Kerry is its support to the community in bringing families together at their local children’s centre, 1st Place. “Meeting other people in a similar situation, sharing ideas on cooking, and other parent-to-parent support helps create a community. That’s important.”
Kerry enjoys shopping at East Street Market; “I hope all traders will get on board with the project to make sure there is a wide variety of fruit & veg options available for everyone’s different tastes.”