A PROJECT helping people make the most of the food they receive from food banks has received a national award.

The Tin to Table Guide, produced by New Forest District Council (NFDC) and the area's four food banks, including Ringwood Food Bank, won a Community Challenge Prize, a national award from the Good Things Foundation and the Joseph Rowntree Foundation.

The guide features recipes based on ingredients in a typical food bank parcel, as well as food storage and safety tips, budgeting tools and information on sources of support and advice.

It will be distributed with food parcels from New Forest food banks.

NFDC portfolio holder for community affairs, Councillor Diane Andrews, said: "Tin to Table provides really practical, accessible recipes, as well as useful budgeting tips and details of support available from the council and other organisations for people in the district who might be struggling. I am delighted that we have been able to work with the food banks and that the project has been recognised with a Community Challenge Prize."

The Community Challenge Prize helps community organisations to find ways to do more for the people they support. Tin to Table brought together the council and all the New Forest food banks and helped them to think more about what they could do to help their customers. It won the prize because it responded to feedback from real people who felt that they were not making the most of the food parcels that they receive from food banks.

The team behind the project will be collecting their award at the House of Lords on Thursday 19 July.