COMMUNITY FOOD PANTRY

With thanks to IKEA and the National Lotterys 'Places Called Home' Fund, we created our comforting room which includes our Food Pantry that is accessible to everyone in the community. There are no Restrictions based on benefits or income; anyone is welcome to come by. The pantry is currently open every Wednesday from 10am - 1pm.

What is the Food Pantry

In these challenging times, we understand that essential needs like food can sometimes take a backseat when finances are tight. To address this issue, we launched our Food Pantry with the goal of removing barriers to access. Our pantry is open to all, requiring no means testing. As long as you can make it to us, you are welcome to use this service.

We have designed the Food Pantry to complement our Welcome Wednesday sessions, which offer a variety of advice services alongside the pantry. Regularly, organisations participate to provide support in areas such as energy advice, benefits, mental health, and more.

Thanks to funding from the National Lottery and IKEA, we have created a warm and inviting space, complete with comfortable seating. This setting allows individuals to connect with like-minded people and engage in informal conversations with other community members and organizations about available support.

It’s important to note that we operate independently; we are not part of a Food Bank network or a larger entity. We are a registered community charity focused on providing services that meet the needs of our local population.

Our Food Pantry is more than just a place to obtain food; it serves as a support hub for individuals navigating the current cost of living crisis we all face.

How it works

Our volunteers are here to assist you, but the process is straightforward. You can take up to eight individual items for a minimum donation of £3.00, which helps us cover costs and ensures we can continue to restock our supplies.

Opening Hours: The pantry is open every Wednesday from 10 AM to 1 PM.

How you can help

Food Donations: We are always in need of food donations, so if you or any local businesses would like to contribute, please reach out to us.

Financial Donations: If you can make a financial contribution to support this project, rest assured that 100% of your donation will go directly toward repurchasing food items. We have multiple donation pots throughout the building, and if you’d like to make a larger donation, please speak to a team member.

Pay It Forward: While our £3 donation is low, we recognize that some families may struggle even with this small amount. If you would like to help cover the cost for someone else in need, your generosity would be greatly appreciated.

Volunteering: We have a wonderful team of dedicated volunteers, but we are always grateful for additional support. If you have spare time and would like to help, please contact us at 01443 475120.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this a Food Bank?

No, it is not a registered Food Bank; it is a Food Pantry. This is a completely nonprofit initiative.

What is the difference between a food bank and a food pantry?

Our Food Pantry offers a weekly support network through a free membership scheme, providing a long-term solution compared to Food Banks, which typically offer short-term assistance. Our pantry also supplies refrigerated and fresh food items that are often not available through traditional Food Banks.

Do you provide emergency aid?

Yes, we strive to ensure that no one goes hungry. We may request additional information to verify eligibility for emergency assistance.

Why is there a minimum donation?

Our Food Pantry operates on a nonprofit basis. Many items are purchased at cost, and we subsidise prices through funding and reduced-rate food sourcing. Currently, we pay for about 95% of the goods we provide and do not rely solely on food donations.

Why can't you open all week?

Due to high demand and the need to maintain stock levels, we are only currently able to offer our services one day a week.

Don't you have funding for this?

In Short No, Yes we do occasionally apply for small funding grants, which allows us to subsidise food costs significantly. However, this by no means fully funds it. The minimum donation helps us sustain this service.

Why can't I take more than 8 Items?

To ensure that everyone in need can access the pantry, we have set a maximum of eight items per person. The pantry is intended to supplement your needs rather than replace a regular weekly grocery shop.

Why do you offer items past their BBE date?

Some items may be past their Best Before dates, but we ensure they are safe for consumption before placing them on our shelves. We clearly mark extended shelf life according to manufacturer guidelines.

Where does the food come from?

We source stock from various organisations, including supermarkets, for which we pay. We also welcome occasional donations from local groups and individuals.

We are proud to announce the opening of our fantastic ‘Places Called Home’ comfortable

room, incorporating our brand New Food Pantry, which is available to all our community.
There are no restrictions on benefits or any earnings, if you want to pop along you are more
than welcome. The pantry is currently open Wednesday’s from 10am-1pm.

What is it

We know it’s a challenging time for everyone at the moment and that sometimes the essentials in life,

like food, can take a back seat when you’re struggling financially.

We launched our Food Pantry to help tackle this and wanted a way to remove any barriers, as result our

pantry has no restrictions to whom can utilise it. There is no means testing required and as long as you

are able to travel to it you are able to access this service if you need to.

We have built our Food Pantry around our Welcome Wednesday sessions to provide a full host of advice

surgeries as well as the pantry. Where we have regular attendances from organisations whom can provide,

energy advice, benefits advice, mental health support plus much more.

With the help of Funding received from the National Lottery and IKEA, we have been able to create a

wonderful welcoming room, with comfortable seating available. This will allow people to meet like

minded individuals and to have informal conversations with other community members or even

organisations around support.

We do not form part of a Food Bank network or a larger entity, we are a standalone registered community

based charity, providing services to aid our communities.

So it is not just a place to get essential food but to get full support to help with the current cost of living

crisis that we all face.

How it works

We have volunteers available to assist you through the process but the process is simple, you may take up

to 8 individual items for a minimum donation of £2.00 to cover the costs, this donation will allow us to

continue restocking the produce going forward.

Opening Hours - The pantry is currently open every Wednesday between 10am and 1pm

Community Food Table

On top of the food pantry we offer our community food table, which is completely free. Many items on

this are received from local supermarkets that are past the BBE date, or is the surplus stock that we would

be unable to utilise elsewhere. Items will include Bread, Vegetables, salads, etc. This is located in our

reception area and is accessible during our building opening hours 9am-3pm Monday-Friday.

How you can help

Food Donations - We are always looking for donations, so if any community members or local businesses

would like to donate food to the pantry please let us know.

Financial Donations – If you can contribute financially to the project we would put 100% of your donation

back into the repurchase of food goods. There are multiply donation pots available through the building, if

you would like to make a larger donation please find a member of the team to assist you.

Pay if forward – Whilst our £2 donation seems low, we do work with families where even this is struggle

some weeks, which is a true reflection on the current crises we live within. If you would like to pay it

forward so the next struggling family are covered we would be more than grateful for your donations.

Volunteering - Whilst we do have a great team of committed volunteers, we are always thankful for any

support that can be offered, if you have spare time and want to help us please get in touch, on

01443 475120.

FAQ

Is this a Food Bank? It is not a registered Food Bank but a Food Pantry. It is a totally not for profit venture.

What is the difference between a Food Bank and Food Pantry? Our Food Pantry is a weekly support network

through a free membership scheme that provides a longer term option to that of a food bank, which are only

able to provide short term, occasional support to families suffering from food poverty. Our food pantry can

also supply, refrigerated and fresh food items that a short-term food bank would be to provide, goods like

fruit and fresh vegetables.

Why is there a minimum donation? Our Food Pantry is run not for profit and many of the goods are

purchased at usual cost price, we then subsidise the costs with funds or utilising foods sourced at reduced

rates. So at present we pay for around 95% of the goods we utilise in the food pantry and do not rely on

Food Donations as a Food Bank does.

Don’t you have funding for this project? Yes we do have funding, which is part of the reason we are able to

massively subsidise the costs of the food, but it is not 100% funded and a condition of our funder is for us to

match fund an element towards it, which is where the minimum donation contributes back to it to make it

more sustainable.

Why can’t I have more than 8 items? Due to the ever increasing cost of living, we have to put a maximum

quantity per person, to ensure that as many people that need to access the service can. The pantry is not

here to replace a regular weekly shop, but to aid your bills and provide essentials

Where does the food come from? We get stock from various organisations, including supermarkets, all of

which we pay for. We do accept and receive occasional food donations from groups or local people and we

do welcome these.

Why do you have items past their BBE date? Some of the food we stock may very well be past it’s BBE date printed on the item. We always ensure that this food it still fit for consumption before shelving and will clearly mark the extended shelf date as per the Manufacturers guidance.

Why can’t you open all week? Due to the demand in food, we would be unable to maintain stock levels to sufficiently open all week, which is why we only currently offer a 1 day a week service

Do you provide Emergency Aid? Yes, we will always do our best to ensure that people are not left hungry, we may ask for additional information to ensure you qualify for this service.

For more information please contact us on 01443 475120.