Struggling families urged to use low cost shop

Volunteers at a community shop which offers essential items to struggling families are encouraging people to attend.

Clothes, school uniforms, books, shoes, toys, and kitchenware are among the items people pick up for free or a low cost at the Honesty Jar in the Grassroots Garden Centre in Henstridge, Somerset.

Its founder, Sam Flounders, said her team of 40 volunteers help about 1,000 people a month. The group aims to ease financial pressure by offering a “dignified way for people to access what they need”, Ms Flounders said.

“You can take anything that we have that you would like to rehome, we would just like a voluntary contribution in the jar,” she added.

The reuse venue encourages people to donate things they are no longer using.

“We have two metric tonnes (2,000 kg) of items donated to us each week and we need to find homes for that stuff rather than it go to landfill,” Ms Flounders said.

The non-for-profit organisation aims to support those navigating difficult circumstances, such as new parents, jobseekers, or young people setting up independent lives.

Ms Flounders said: “We don’t want anything that’s broken, we’re just looking for re-useable items that people can take home straightaway.”

Lisamarie Canning, from Honesty Jar, added that “without the continued support of our communities from fundraising events, donations, and volunteering, we wouldn’t be able to continue the vital support we provide to those in need”.

“They are the reason the Honesty Jar continues to thrive,” she said.