A Slice of Bread and Butter
The voice of The Bread and Butter Thing - with stories from the frontline of the cost of living crisis from one of the UK's leading food charities.
A Slice of Bread and Butter
Team talk: When customer services meets community impact
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This week's podcast lands with a bit of a difference. Mark and Vic are joined by guest host, Frazer McKinstry from Swissport along with a few of our newest team members for a noisy sharing of life stories. And of course there's a special appearance from Mark's dog, Blue!
This exchange was captured at our most recent bi-annual gathering, and provides a behind-the-scenes snippet of the magic that can happen when people from all backgrounds – hospitality, nursing, retail management, and even trombone players – discover their calling in community food support.
Welcome back to A Slice of Bread and Butter with Mark and Vic from the Bread and Butter thing and Fraser. Fraser, who are you and why are you here?
Speaker 2So I'm Fraser and I'm from an organisation called Swissport. We do ground handling and cargo services at 23 locations around the UK and I'm here to shadow Vic. We're on a programme together called the Exchange Programme at the Forward Institute, where we tap into each other's leadership skills, give each other some feedback and direction on where we're going. Vic has been to Swissport to shadow me and meet some of my colleagues and some of our people, and we're going through a massive program at Heathrow as well. So she met some, some new colleagues that are going through the process of coming into the business, and now I'm here repaying the favour and at the end of today I'll give Vic some constructive feedback.
Speaker 3Ooh.
Speaker 1Are we recording that the feedback yeah. You can record it, should I Jamie it?
Speaker 5for you, Mark.
Speaker 1Yeah, ok, so the Bread and Butter thing. We are a charity that delivers affordable food to the heart of struggling neighbourhoods, to help nourish communities and act as a catalyst for change.
Speaker 5We provide access to nutritious, affordable range of food, which means that our members can save money on their shopping, feed their families healthily, as well as accessing other support too, right in the heart of their communities.
Speaker 1And this is where we share a slice of life of somebody involved in bread and butter and hear how they connect with us. But it's more than one. This week it's one of a few recordings that we made at the annual gathering. What's the annual gathering? Vic?
Speaker 5So the annual gathering is when we bring together all of the people that work for Bread and Butter, from up in the North East, down into the East Midlands and in Trafford, so that they can meet each other, have a social but also, really importantly, reflect on the work that they've been doing and have a social, but also, really importantly, reflect on the work that they've been doing, and this year we were looking at the impacts and insights that we'd got from the annual survey that took place in December.
Speaker 1So this is our first cross-section.
Meeting the New Recruits
Speaker 6We took new starters, people that anything from a week to six weeks with us, and this is what it's like. I'm Kate and I've been at Bread and Butter since November, start of November. Yeah, I'm loving the community and the people at the community, the volunteers especially. Yeah, it's really good, really good.
Speaker 3I'm Natasha and I have been with the company since the second week in January, but I've been a member for a year and a half before that.
Speaker 7Where at?
Speaker 3Cornforth. So me, my sister and my mum were all members there. My sister still gets her bags every Monday without fail, but I've got to take them home from work now and pay for them somehow.
Speaker 3So, yeah, comfort is my favorite hub so far, purely because I've got a connection with everyone there prior to working with like for yourselves. And I think my other one has to be the hut. I love the hut. We are lacking volunteers there a little bit at the minute, but I think with a bit of a shout-out we can probably pull some more in. But, yeah, it's just a lovely little hub that one. Yeah, it is nice. I like that one. I'm going to steal it off, dan.
Speaker 7Yeah, yeah, I'll put that down as one of my favourites.
Speaker 5Did you. I think it's really an interesting hub because it's kind of out in the middle of nowhere, like it feels really isolated, doesn't it? Yeah, so kind of tricky for members to get to a regular shop.
Speaker 3Yeah, I mean, it is just on the outskirts of usher, isn't it? But it feels very isolated by the time you're sat in front of all the houses and the bungalows and then the view from the front it is. It makes it feel a little bit in the middle of nowhere. But thankfully the members still come up the hill, down the hill.
Speaker 1Yeah, yeah. Well, that's Durham right.
Speaker 3Yes, yeah.
Building Community Connections
Speaker 7Dan, you may as well go next, All right, yeah, yeah, so I'm Daniel. I started December sometime Because I'm new. I've tried like a lot of different hubs and I just like going and trying all the different ones. Every hub you go to, everyone seems really nice, really friendly. I've just enjoyed getting out and going to all the hubs Because you're new as well. You don't get that many warehouse days so you get to go out a lot and see a lot of places. So the good bits when you get out and you're talking to everybody, meeting all the new people, I think everyone likes that. Yeah, I really enjoyed it.
Speaker 8I'm Stacey. I've only been with the company since Monday baptism of fire this day very, very new. So I've not been to any hubs yet. I did do one on my trial day in December, which was Beswick Library, which I really enjoyed. So I've just been in the warehouse this week getting the basics of everything down first, before I go into the hubs next week.
Speaker 4I'm Justin, work with Dan and Kate and Natasha Is this your memory jogger.
Speaker 1It's my memory jogger. I think I know you, you're Dan.
Speaker 4I think I know you, you're Kate, but like Dan says when you get out to the hubs, you've got all these names you know and they only have to remember one. They just have to remember yours. I mean it's a bit like you're coming from a hospitality background trying to get everybody's names because people want to be called by their names. I started with Bread and Butter on New Year's Eve.
Speaker 1Wow.
Speaker 4Yeah, so a bit of a story. So I'd lost my previous job end of November.
Speaker 1In hospitality.
Speaker 4No, I'd gone from hospitality into breweries, then went into wholesale, obviously then looking for ways of saving money because we'd lost half of our household income. I hadn't realised that it was the bread and butter thing that my wife had signed up for. She just sent me a message one Saturday morning when she was off to work. I've signed up for this thing. You pick up some bags from Junction 7 in.
Speaker 8New Neckliff.
Speaker 4Thought no more of it. Monday morning saw the CDDO position on Indeed. Read through it I was like you know what? That seems really good. Blue's having a lovely time.
Speaker 1Yeah, yeah, blue's joined us and he's just enjoying chewing Vic at the moment.
Speaker 4So I'd sent off my application on the Monday morning, went along to pick my bags up at half past 12, walked into the car park and saw the bread and butter thing and then got a phone call from Vic on the afternoon. Obviously did the experience day and then just kind of waited to see what happened. Thankfully, stacey rang me on the Monday before New Year's Day and said where can you start? And I said tomorrow Wow, which was New Year's Eve. So I did one day, had a day off, did two days, had the weekend off.
Speaker 5So got it right, kind of like phased yourself in, phased into that first week.
Speaker 4So yeah, it's been really amazing. Ment into that first week, so yeah, it's been really amazing mentally and physically. It's put me in a much better place than I was for a long, long time. It's helped me a lot, helping all those people as well. And, like Danny said, I can't really pick out a favourite hub because I've done like quite a few different ones, like on training and on my own.
Speaker 3I think you've got to go like a couple of times, don't you, to really get a feel of it.
Speaker 4Yeah, to get a feel for them, and them to get a feel for you, because you know they might report back and say we don't like him, and I think it's tough when you go first time, because it's new.
Speaker 5You don't know like the volunteers are in charge, aren't they?
Speaker 3I was going to say they know more than to. I'm like right, this is my first week. Tell me what you do, yeah, and I will follow your lead as we get used to everything and all the volunteers have been amazing all week, but that makes it really brilliant because it's community owned right.
Speaker 5We just help the community do for the community, so they take ownership, don't they yeah?
Speaker 6You get to the point where you start to know members as well and they've got more of a relationship with the volunteers because obviously they live in the same community. But it's nice when you obviously go to hubs a few times and you start to get to know members, Especially when you know their name before they come and it's like oh you remember me?
Speaker 3That's fantastic it matters.
Speaker 1right, it matters to all of them. Yeah, it's special because if we can actually do something about that, almost like customer service piece to them, it really does warm them because they're not used to that.
Speaker 6At the same time, that interaction with that person could be like the only interaction they get all week yeah.
Speaker 3So you've got to make it like well in fairness, before I started working here, I was on maternity leave for nine months, so that monday of going to pick my bags up was the only social interaction and adult interaction I got all week, other than listen to a nine-month-old scream at me she can help someone feel a bit less isolated.
Speaker 6Yeah, yeah if it's just to give them a bag of shopping.
Speaker 4Well, that was something that was fed back to us yesterday, wasn't it? It was a lady who'd been through like quite a lot of like mental health and financial issues and stuff and she'd sent an email in to say that you know that bread and butter thing, like you said that once a week out to meet people and get into a better place, and then she was volunteering and just wanted to say that without us being there she wouldn't have been able to work through that and and we don't know until we've been like quite a few times what everybody's situation is, you know. So it's great to hear that.
Speaker 1And these stories pour out. The more you're out there, you just see more and more of it and you just think, oh my God, yeah.
Speaker 3Because I think with a lot of places you hear more negative than you hear positive, don't you? But I think that's the other way around for us. We hear a lot of positive stories about how the bags help people, how the social interaction helps people. It's very rare you hear anything negative said.
Speaker 1Well, it depends on how good the food is right.
Speaker 3Yes, yes, it does. Yes, I'll tell you what.
Speaker 7I've been surprised at just going to these places like community hubs and stuff like that. Just how much is actually going on that you don't realise is going on. Some amazing things in some of these places that people are doing to help everybody. Then we're just coming along on top of that.
From Diverse Backgrounds to Social Impact
Speaker 1Yeah, exactly, and that's the idea. I never knew all that was even a thing, you know, because we just try and be a plug and play so that we just add to it and we create the kind of footfall. We get more of the community coming through the door because the food brings them in. Yeah, we love that, and the more activity like that, the better. So, what backgrounds? Then hospitality, obviously, and then we'll not mention the wholesale hospitality.
Speaker 4from finishing uni went into, got a part-time bar job because I hadn't decided what I was going to do when I grew up. And then you got stuck with money and I still don't know what I'm going to do. You do.
Speaker 1You found your calling now.
Speaker 4I know what I want to do, but I just don't know when I'm going to grow up, went into the brewery side and now really getting involved with actually making a difference, rather than just trying to make money for people who don't care about what the staff do.
Speaker 7What about you, dan? Sales for me really for the last few years, but it's funny, right, because it's all still customer facing stuff. To be honest, I was doing really well at sales, but it just gets to a point where I was getting a bit sick with sales and I get that and, um, I saw this job come up and I was at royal mail years ago. Yeah, yeah, um, and I wanted to get back into something similar to that.
Speaker 1We've had quite a few posties, haven't we in things?
Speaker 8Yeah.
Speaker 1Walking like 25,000 steps a day, but knew everybody. Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 6I'm from hospitality as well, so I did my degree and finished that in 2021. And then, you see, went back into bars and things Always had.
Speaker 5Became a restaurant manager and then found this job just recently, so jill's got a bit of a hospitality groove going on, isn't it? Well how?
Speaker 6could it not with stacy, but I was. I've never utilized my degree or anything, but um it was your degree it was music and sociology right.
Speaker 1So that's a bizarre combination, I know but it was all about working with is that like music therapy.
Speaker 3Yeah, exactly, working with communities.
Speaker 6Is that?
Speaker 1like music therapy.
Speaker 6Yeah, exactly working with communities using music and I obviously haven't really pursued the music side of it, although it's still my hobby. Do you play instruments? I play the trombone.
Speaker 1Nice, you brought it.
Speaker 6I haven't brought it now, unfortunately.
Speaker 1Can we find one in the next three hours? Can we find a trombone I?
Speaker 6bet we can. I don't think we can.
Speaker 4We happened on this the other day, though, didn't we?
Speaker 6We did.
Speaker 4We were in the break room just getting ready to go out and I can't remember how it came about.
Speaker 6I can't either, but you revealed that you also play. Yeah, what do you play?
Speaker 4I play the trombone as well, wow.
Speaker 1We need two and it came about Two trombones Because you played for Ever.
Speaker 2Ready didn't you?
Speaker 4Yeah, and I was like oh, ever Ready, get you, so she's way better, way better than me. What?
Speaker 6grade? Did you get to Grade 8 diploma?
Speaker 7Yeah.
Speaker 4I did it at uni as well. Okay, we had combinations of every try music, business and sport. That was what my combined studies degree was.
Speaker 6Oh, linguistics, yeah, because I played the piano.
Speaker 4You're all showing off now. Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3Mine was nursing, nursing.
Speaker 1I haven't done anything like that either. Wow, yeah, I did my nursing degree. Yeah, did you go into nursing?
Speaker 3No, so I did my nursing degree over in Belfast. I lived in Belfast for four years and I came home and had my first child and never went into it. When the second one was born, 18 months later, that I was just weren't suitable for raising a family because I was a single parent as well, so I just dropped it.
Speaker 1What about you, stace?
Speaker 8so I did a degree in social care. I was originally from Scarborough so I went into a private care home it's just as you said, scarborough. Yeah, I've got kind of like a mix now so like it's not really Mancunian, but it's not really like northern it's like a hybrid accent um you know we're opening in whitby in feb oh wow, I love whitby.
Speaker 8Whitby's gorgeous, and then now I'm doing a degree in psychology as well, but that's just like through the open university. So that's all online. But when I came to manchester I started working at as a team manager at matalan. I did a lot of the charity at matalan for the store that I was in and then I saw this role come up and it was just something that I was interested in, so I just applied for it and then here I am.
Speaker 1Excellent. James has just walked in with a plate full of food, so the dog's got his attention. James is one of our trustees and he's suddenly very interesting to Blue.
Speaker 5These guys are some of our new recruits that have started kind of from November onwards.
Speaker 1I was going to say, because you're a newbie as well, James.
Speaker 6I'm a newbie. Yeah, yeah, A couple of months in.
Speaker 1Yeah, James used to be MD of Branston the potato I wouldn't call them farmers Potato.
Speaker 6No, we're sort of we were packers. So we would supply all of Tesco's potatoes for them. So we'd deal with lots of 130 growers around the country and pack up those potatoes and find other things to do with them.
Speaker 1And now he's decided he's going to help us.
Speaker 5Which is great, because we always need more food right.
Speaker 1Yeah, as does Blue clearly. So I think we'll wrap it up so I can actually take control of him. I think we'll wrap it up so I can actually take control of him. Trombones who knew Two trombones in two starters? That was impressive.
Speaker 5Very impressive.
Speaker 1We didn't manage to get a trombone on the day.
Speaker 5No, but I think we could change our podcast music to be played by a trombone, maybe for a week. That was a no.
Speaker 1I'm afraid that was a no yeah, so I thought it was really interesting how everybody's struck by two things. First of all, it's clear that everybody comes in from industries such as hospitality and see the similarities in what they do, but at the same time, people see the social impact and the community vibe almost immediately yeah, really clearly starting to get their favorite hubs enjoying being out in the community, enjoying that kind of customer service element, making connections with people yeah, and I think that's what it's all about, but I don't think people get it until they actually join.
Speaker 1I know we see it every day and it's interesting because, even when they've only just started, they're full of stories and full of experiences, yeah, which is why we do this right.
Speaker 5Correct, yeah.
Speaker 1And Blue enjoyed meeting them.
Speaker 5Blue featured quite heavily in that podcast. I think at one point you point out that Blue was eating me, which is true.
Speaker 2I've only spent two days here and I can see the kind of sense of community, especially from being down in Trafford yesterday and meeting some of the CDDOs. You can definitely see that.
Speaker 1Yeah, there's a sense of ownership.
Speaker 2Yeah, 100%.
Speaker 1A responsibility feel. We don't want to let the community down.
Speaker 2Yeah, yeah, yeah, I think it was Alex, we met.
Speaker 1Alex.
Speaker 2He was very passionate about what he did.
Speaker 5Alex is a dude.
Speaker 1Yeah, we met Alex. He was very passionate about what he did. Alex is a dude yeah. Love Alex, yeah, but he's not alone. He's a bright light, I agree, but you could have met so many of them that would all feel the same way, and it's definitely what comes through in the conversations that everybody were having around the table. Right, they are struck by the amount of community and almost the way community is trying to help itself as well. Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 5I thought that it was really pleasing that the new CDDOs just got so much enthusiasm and energy. They were really excited to be able to get out into the communities. I don't think the novelty ever wears off, but it changes and I really enjoyed that enthusiasm from them.
Speaker 1I don't think it does wear off, but I think it just gets hard. You know, when you've been doing it for six months, a year, 18 months, and every day you're waking up and watching the weather and how hard is it going to be, because it's a very outdoorsy job for the CDDOs, so I don't know how they do it every day. If I'm honest, I remember doing it and I got fed up with it quite quickly.
Speaker 5I remember doing it too, but this is the community bit.
Speaker 1Yeah, that's what keeps you going.
Speaker 5The being able to remember people's names. And when you're new in you don't know many people's names. But when you get your own hubs and that's firmed up and you're going out every week and you're meeting the same people, that's when the connections properly form.
Speaker 2Yeah, I guess on a proper frosty day that warehouse is like a freezer inside, right.
Speaker 5You go in the fridge to warm up, for sure.
Speaker 1It is bizarre that on a frosty day you can walk in the chiller and it's warmer. Yeah, and you feel it and that feels wrong. Right, walking into a fridge and it's warmer than the warehouse. A hundred percent.
Speaker 5You don't get that at the airport.
Speaker 2No, you definitely don't get that.
Speaker 5You can get in the tug though.
Speaker 2You can get in the tug for a heat.
Speaker 5I went in the tug and that was boiling.
Speaker 2Yeah, you went in and pushed the plane back in. I did. I stood in the freezing cold whilst you were.
Speaker 1Yeah thanks for that. You're going to have to explain what a tug is now.
Speaker 5So the tug is what pushes the yeah, so it reverses it round so it's pointing in the right direction and then you disconnect and go off the bit that was the coolest. Probably like this is silly, but that the radio was the wire coming out the bottom of the plane and that was to the pilot and he's just stood there with his headphones on on the tarmac chatting to the pilot.
Parting Thoughts and Contact Information
Speaker 2Yeah, because they take all their instructions from the pilot. Yeah, yeah, I'll just label the point that vick got a 10 minute heat though yes, well, it's quite warm in here though, fraser, so there's no, I was gonna say we've not stuck you in the warehouse fraser, we've not frozen you, no, no, that's fair kate was pitching for you to shovel potatoes yesterday, though I don't give it a.
Speaker 5We digress.
Speaker 1In the right way though, because it's enthusiasm again, so that that is the beauty of what you were talking about, fraser, and what we see every day. That enthusiasm, I think it flows through everybody. Maybe the CDDOs need it more than most because it's a harder physical job every day, but it does flow through everybody, and I think that's quite rare.
Speaker 5Yeah, I think what was interesting from chatting to the guys about what they've done before clearly a connection with hospitality and that customer service piece, but also really diverse roles around that and lots of people kind of thinking that they wanted to do nursing and not getting into that.
Speaker 1We've had that with other employees where they come from lots of different backgrounds and actually they're quite happy to have a demanding but rewarding job where they can get out and about and feel like they're making a difference right from day one if you'd like to know more about the bread and butter thing and what we get up to, you can find us at team tbbt, on instagram and twitter, and allegedly on tiktok on linkedin or online at breadandbutterthingorg and if you have any feedback or thoughts on the podcast or you'd like to come and be our guest, drop us an email at podcast at breadandbutterthingorg lastly, we're always open to new members at all of our hubs, so if you or someone you know would benefit from our affordable food scheme, you can find your nearest hub on the become a member page on the website and please do all of those things that podcasts ask you to do like us, subscribe, leave us a review, share us with your friends, chat about us on social.
Speaker 5See you next time. Bye.
