Due to the growing cost of living, Salford Step Into Action is still looking out for those who need it most.
Gemma and her daughter Rosie(Image: Gemma Fish )
When Gemma Fish felt compelled to help the most vulnerable during Covid, she didn’t expect it to last this long. The mum from Little Hulton is the driving force behind Step Into Action, a local charity shop that started out as a Facebook group of volunteers.But due to the growing cost of living, Salford Step Into Action is still looking out for those who need it most.”A couple of years ago we felt like it was easing off.” She explained “Then they hiked all the electricity prices up and that has brought us back to what it was like during Covid times when people were losing jobs.”At the minute we’ve got a bit of a reprieve because the weather’s nicer and we’ve got lighter evenings, but come the end of summer we’re going to be right back there.”It’s going to be a really hard winter because the prices are due to go up and people just can’t afford it, at all.”
The food is for anybody who needs it, says Gemma
But the winter is yet to come, and Step Into Action’s main focus is helping struggling families this summer, more specifically, working families. That is why they are providing free lunch and dinner packs for the people of Salford.The initiative will see parents collect the care packages at St James’ Church in Broughton and the charity’s hub in Walkden, free of charge. The lunch pack includes bread, butter, ham, cheese, yoghurts, crisps and apples.While the dinner packs consist of sausage, mash and peas as well as lasagne. “The service is open to everybody.”There’s no criteria, they don’t have to be in receipt of benefits or anything like that. I’m always trying to get to the working families who don’t get any additional support because they don’t reach a certain threshold.”It’s to ease the pressure for parents, some are paying for additional childcare or taking unpaid leave to be able to look after their children. Even something like a lunch pack just gives them that ability to have some extra bits in..To Register, email the group at help@salfordsia.co.uk.