Bridging the Gap (Manchester)

Bridging the Gap (Manchester) is a local charity working towards the prevention and relief of poverty in our local community.

Our primary project is Manchester South Central Foodbank, which opened in 2014 in response to the need for a foodbank that covered the Hulme, Moss Side, Whalley Range and Old Trafford areas. These are some of the most deprived areas in Greater Manchester, which is an area with a high level of poverty. With a child population of about 600,000, roughly 41.7% of children are living in poverty in the region. We are therefore a small but busy foodbank, in the 2023/2024 financial year we supported 4997 individuals with a food parcel.

But we are so much more than a foodbank. Bridging the Gap recognises the complex and multiple drivers of poverty, and we seek to respond to these and support our clients out of poverty.

Our additional projects include:

• Financial Inclusion – we have trained advice workers from Citizens Advice Manchester & Manchester Mind in our foodbank sessions to provide our clients with advice around benefits, housing & debt. 
• Winter Support – we provide multiple projects to support the community through the winter months including Warm Spaces, Winter Warmer Packs, Fuel/Energy support, Elder Care Hampers & Christmas Toy Sacks. 

Family Support Projects

• Holiday Hunger – in partnership with local schools we support families with food parcels at times when free school meals are not available.
• School Uniform – in partnership with local schools and professionals we provide access to new and preloved school uniform essentials. 
• Digital Inclusion – in partnership with local schools and professionals we provide access to laptops for children in education.