Podcast Summary: James Reed: All About Business

Episode 41: How Working Professionals Are Being Pushed Into Hardship and What Businesses Can Do to Help | Mark Game

Release Date: August 18, 2025
Host: James Reed, Chairman and CEO of Reed Group
Guest: Mark Game, CEO & Founder of the Bread and Butter Thing

Episode Overview

This episode explores the rise of in-work poverty and how professionals—despite being employed—are struggling to make ends meet amid rising living costs. James Reed sits down with Mark Game, CEO of the Bread and Butter Thing, to discuss the ongoing hardships UK working families face, the evolving nature of poverty, and what businesses and local authorities can do to both relieve immediate needs and rebuild community support.

Main Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Changing Face of Poverty in the UK

• Wage Stagnation vs Cost of Living
  • Average salaries stalled from the 2000s, no longer keeping pace with surging living costs.
  • “Wages don't pay as much as they did. Things cost a hell of a lot more ... working families that are doing all the right things ... still can't make things stretch.” – Mark Game (01:48)
• In-Work Poverty
  • Many Bread and Butter Thing members are working professionals facing hardship.
  • Case example: A data analyst and his wife (a payroll clerk) saw their mortgage quadruple after a rate change, pushing them into financial strain though not an official poverty statistic (02:57–03:51).
• Hidden Support & Unclaimed Benefits
  • Over £20 billion in benefits go unclaimed annually due to lack of accessible information or stigma in seeking help (07:12–08:09).
  • “Hidden help isn't help, it's just not there.” – Mark Game (07:45)

2. The Bread and Butter Thing: Mission & Operations

• Origin Story & Meaning of the Name
  • Started in 2015 by Mark and his wife Jane, both accountants. The term "bread and butter" stands for everyday essentials and reflects a movement to normalize support (09:17–10:03).
• Business Model
  • Redistributes surplus food via community-led food clubs—140,000 families across 145 clubs, supplied by ~100 food donors (farms, manufacturers, supermarkets) (13:18–13:36).
  • Each club is self-sustaining after initial seed funding: local authorities pay for first-year setup, after which the program’s operations are covered by nominal membership fees (£8.50 for three bags of food) (11:32–12:44).
• Community Hubs vs. Food Banks
  • No referrals or means-testing; open to all in a given area, preserving dignity and avoiding the stigma often associated with food banks (18:33–19:02).
  • Community volunteers handle local distribution and engagement, creating a sense of ownership and support.

3. The Role and Rebuilding of Community

• Purpose and Dignity
  • Reed and Game discuss the psychological struggles of poverty: the loss of dignity and purpose that can come with seeking help or falling into hardship (21:19–22:05).
  • Community hubs provide more than food—they rebuild social connections and self-esteem.
• Importance of Social Connection
  • Isolation is compared to smoking in its health risks (46:02–46:19).
  • “Building friendships and just not being as isolated on your own… social isolation is more dangerous than smoking.” – Mark Game (46:04)

4. Upskilling and Employment Pathways

• Challenges in Moving from Unemployment
  • Many individuals are generationally removed from the workforce and require confidence-building, not just job skills (34:21–37:41).
  • Example: Despite targeted employment programs, very few participants may transition directly to work due to lack of basic confidence and routine.
  • “We think everybody is ready to be employed and they're not ... it's the confidence.” – Mark Game (38:11)

5. Lessons for Business, Government, and Philanthropy

• Sustainability and Scale
  • Bread and Butter Thing aims to be self-sustaining, but has had to adopt a blended funding model due to inflation and cost-of-living pressures (50:23–53:43).
• Philanthropic Business Models
  • James Reed presses for companies to become "Philanthropy Companies" (PhilCos), channeling shares and profits into community benefit, bypassing overburdened governments (47:28–49:33).
• Call to Action
  • Local authorities, private donors, and companies are encouraged to sponsor new hubs, with £150k–£250k needed for initial setup (33:32–33:41).

6. Personal Journey: Mark Game’s Path

• Early Life
  • Grew up in a working-class, Irish Catholic family in Preston; overcame challenging circumstances and juvenile convictions in youth (23:20–24:11).
• Turning Point & Career
  • Returned to school at 22, eventually becoming an accountant, then moving into food logistics and social enterprise (26:22–29:08).
• Leadership and Management Philosophy
  • Values resilience, “can do” self-starters, and lean teams. Expects all team members to contribute at all levels—and the organization prides itself on never missing a club opening (31:02–32:25).

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• On In-Work Poverty:
  “You have citizens of the UK doing everything that is expected of them and yet they cannot afford to get by.” – Mark Game (07:12)

• On Stigma and Hidden Help:
  “Hidden help isn't help, it's just not there.” – Mark Game (07:45)

• On Community and Belonging:
  “Community hubs...are more than food—the community piece is huge...they feel ownership.” – Mark Game (19:34)

• On the Purpose of the Work:
  “It's fairness. It's inequalities that people face for no fault of their own. Even in the UK. That frustration that it's wrong... I feel like I, we can do something about it.” – Mark Game (57:04)

• On Recruiting and Team Building:
  "You can train anybody to do most things. If they've got the right attitude and the right determination..." – Mark Game (31:22)

• On Isolation vs. Community:
  “Social isolation is more dangerous than smoking.” – Mark Game (46:04)

• On Philanthropy Companies:
  "Companies should become philanthropy companies...the upsides are huge...in terms of business, but also in terms of the wider benefits." – James Reed (49:33)

Key Timestamps

• 01:48 – Mark describes rise in working poverty and case study of professional family now struggling.
• 07:12 – Billions in unclaimed benefits; “Hidden help isn’t help.”
• 09:25 – Story behind the Bread and Butter Thing’s name and founding.
• 13:18–13:36 – Bread and Butter Thing’s scale: families, clubs, and food donors.
• 18:33–19:02 – Contrast with food banks: open access, focus on dignity.
• 21:19 – Discussion of dignity, purpose and the impact of work.
• 34:21–37:41 – Upskilling, generational unemployment, and challenges in employment programs.
• 39:17–41:49 – Importance of local confidence, the centrality of local community.
• 46:02–46:19 – Mark: “Social isolation is more dangerous than smoking.”
• 50:23–53:43 – Funding models and financial sustainability.
• 57:04 – What gets Mark up in the morning: fairness and tackling inequality.
• 58:11 – Five-year vision: regulation and systemization of food redistribution.

Flow and Tone

The tone is personal, warm, and honest—with candid admissions by Mark Game about his origins and mistakes, and practical, actionable guidance from both guest and host. James Reed’s questioning is energetic and supportive, while Mark provides both gritty real-world stories of hardship and optimistic tales of community resilience.

Final Takeaways

• In-work poverty is a growing, under-recognized crisis, affecting not only the unemployed but increasing numbers of professionals.
• Efforts like Bread and Butter Thing offer a replicable, sustainable model for food redistribution and community strengthening, emphasizing dignity and inclusion.
• Building genuine community—through food, volunteering, and shared initiatives—is essential for both economic and emotional well-being.
• A new partnership between business, community, and local government—centered on philanthropy and local leadership—may be the most promising path forward.

For more information or to get involved: breadandbutterthing.org
Philanthropy company resources: philco.org.uk