A COMMUNITY shop in Poole says it is seeing "tears of anxiety" when people come through the door due to the cost of living crisis.
The store has seen a dramatic increase in customers who need support beyond food.
Poole Waste Not Want Not in High Street is for people experiencing financial hardship.
The charity works with a food bank and six suppliers within the community to offer food at a discounted price, giving users of the service the autonomy to budget for and choose their own food.
As well as having a supermarket, the charity’s store in Poole has a kitchen for members of the public to use and a café area.
The charity also supports elderly volunteers and people with Special Educational Needs (SEN).
Charity project manager Erika Sloper said the store has seen a dramatic increase in customers during the cost of living crisis.
She said: “Our shop just does not stop the minute the door opens. People are in and it just continues all day.
“It's about making their money go further, money management. So we offer fresh fruits and vegetables. We've got meat, fresh meat, butter, cheese, ham, to give families the chance to come in and shop and do a weekly shop here, at a much reduced price.
“It's generally about 50 to 75 per cent cheaper than any other supermarket, which gives them the sense of pride, dignity, and control with their money.
“And from that we gain friendships. We get to know a lot of people through food. Because we're not their support workers or somebody in authority, they generally open up to us, which means we can then need the signpost to other people or help them.
“School uniforms over the holidays have been a real worry for our members. So we've been able to go on a site and put in an application to get up to 50 pounds to help pay for them.
“We've had tears of absolute anxiety when they come in the door. People are ashamed to ask for help. And then once they sit with us and we explain, you know, that you've done the right thing, this isn't anything to be ashamed about, we're all in the same boat these days, this shop is making your money go further.
“There's no stigma to it, we’re non judgemental and we are here to support and people generally go out with tears of joy afterwards.”
For more information visit the Poole Waste Not Want Not Facebook page.
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