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Community Foundation Wales has supported Welsh Procurement Alliance to award grants to its members to enable them to respond to the needs of those within the communities in which they work.

All projects have identified a way to build local community cohesion, reduce the isolation of those that are vulnerable and improve the health and well-being of families struggling with the effects of living on low incomes.

Essential goods as selected by tenants, for tenants (early indications say slow cookers, washing powder, sanitary goods, low energy light bulbs, children’s essential items.)

We expect costs associated with volunteer expenses such as mileage for delivery of goods out to communities that need it most. We know and feel confident that once this project gets underway, we will attract donations which we will use to top up the goods purchased as part of this project.

So far, we have:

• obtained additional funding from the National Lottery Community Fund for an additional £24k

• sourced space in the Linc Office for the 'cost of living cupboard' to be set up • allocated a project leader to manage the whole project

• shared the project with all team members so that they know they can refer tenants

• checked out the cheapest suppliers of food and toiletries to ensure we obtain best value for the products we have purchased

• We have purchased items for the cost of living cupboard based on both tenant and staff suggestions

• joined the Charis Platform which enables staff to download vouchers for residents • used funds to top up the hardship fund

• Linked in with our partners Baobab Bach so that they can help us buy food and distribute it across communities hardest hit

• widely publicised the initiative internally and amongst our tenant groups

• been present at community events to share the contents of the cupboard via bags of shopping and used these opportunities to allocate vouchers to tenants in need

• produced publicity postcards to show where the support has come from

• used all the funding to issue vouchers for energy and food but also have supported tenants with items they could not previously afford such as fridges, cookers and carpets as well as other hardship purchases such as a phone for a resident suffering domestic abuse