Pantry network milestone, research shows impact 

One of Britain’s biggest community pantry networks - Your Local Pantry - has reached its millionth visit, as new findings show it is preventing people from falling into acute crisis. Two Baptist churches share their stories

Members, supporters and friends of Your Local Pantry marked the milestone moment with a community breakfast event in Birmingham, home to more Pantries than any other UK city.

The network began in 2013 in Stockport and has since spread to all four nations of the UK, supporting more than 149,000 people in more than 120 neighbourhoods over the past 12 years. Several pantries are backed by Baptist churches.

Members pay a small subscription of a few pounds a week, and in return can choose groceries worth many times more, often saving up to £1,000 a year on shopping bills. Nationally, Pantries saved members £6.9 million in the past 12 months, according to the network.

Beyond saving money, members also report a wide range of positive outcomes, such as feeling more connected to their community, and less stressed about running out of food.

The millionth visit came at the same time as a new research survey showed community food clubs such as Pantries lead to a reduction in food bank usage and severe hunger among members.

Of Pantry respondents who had previously had to use a foodbank, 71 per cent had been able to reduce or completely stop their foodbank usage.

Furthermore, 70 per cent of respondents who previously had to skip meals were doing so less often, since joining a Pantry or similar project. The research is here, and shared in more detail below. 

 

‘You’re my lifeline. I would have slept hungry’

Smethwick Baptist Church in Sandwell (West Midlands) is one of several churches that jointly organise Sandwell Smethwick Pantry. 

In October and November the Pantry served 96 and 102 users, respectively, with 470 visits in total. The average pick was around £44. 

It opened in 2019, and is located in the local library, alongside the foodbank. The foodbank launched in 2014 after local churches teamed up to form the charity the Smethwick Church Action Network as a practical response to the high deprivation in the area. The charity oversees the Pantry, and partners with various organisations, including local businesses, a healthy eating program, and the National Literacy Trust.

Stephen Bentham is the minister of Smethwick Baptist Church, and the vice chair of the Smethwick Church Action Network.

‘The idea of the Pantry was to allow people to choose - the dignity of choice - and feel they were contributing because of their weekly subscription,' he said.

'It’s definitely having an impact on members’ well being. One comment we’ve received is: ‘You’re my lifeline. I would have slept hungry.’

‘Four hundred and seventy visits in two months - I dread to think what would be happening without it. I mean, we hear some really difficult stories now, and if it wasn't for both of these projects (the Pantry and the foodbank), I think we would hear an awful lot more.’

He said churches being willing to team up has enabled both the foodbank and the Pantry to operate. 

‘As churches it was very much a case of, we can't do this on our own, but if we come together, we can make those things happen.

‘I think if we stood back, saw the need and did nothing about it, it wouldn't reflect particularly well upon the church. 

‘It’s that practical expression of God's love in action. We don't hide the fact that these projects are run through the churches of the town.’

 

Image | South Aston Pantry | Your Local Pantry

'It saves people money and it helps reduce food - but it's so much more'

Meanwood Valley Baptist Church in Leeds is part of the InterAct charity, a multi-church organisation that runs InterAct Pantry. Elder Charles Laxton shared the following:
 

Meanwood Valley Baptist Church is part of a local food pantry through InterACT Church and Community Partnership, a cross-church community development organisation formed by churches in our area over 20 years ago. 

Our Pantry was born in the wake of the pandemic, and we joined up with the Your Local Pantry network for support, advice and a foundational structure. Their motto of Dignity, Choice and Hope was important to us, particularly after our experiences of giving support during COVID: we were conscious that people receiving help so often also want to be able to contribute. The Pantry asks for a small payment, for which members are then able to choose what they want to buy. The choice and the contribution are key.

Building community is at the heart of what InterACT does, but even we have been pleasantly surprised by the extent to which the Pantry has helped people connect and make relationships. Yes, it saves people money and it helps reduce food waste - both really important values right now - but it's also a space of sharing news, comforting those who are hurting, swapping recipes and cooking tips, and volunteering opportunities. The wider local community also support through financial giving and food donations. InterACT Pantry is now a staple of our community and the church's part within it. 

The success of the Pantry lies in the long standing and close relationship developed between our partner churches in Meanwood (Stainbeck United Reformed; Holy Trinity, Meanwood; and St. Matthew’s, Chapel Allerton. We are also partnered with Leeds South and West Methodist Circuit) our fantastic Community Development worker, Vanessa Brown, and of course the volunteers most of whom come from the community of Meanwood.

 

‘Food clubs represent one of the most promising place-based approaches to tackling hunger in the UK’- research

This summer and autumn, Your Local Pantry and six similar organisations surveyed over 14,000 people who use membership-based food clubs. Such projects typically operate at neighbourhood level, with local residents joining as members and accessing top-quality groceries in return for just a few pounds per visit.

The survey found that as well as saving members money and helping them to avert crisis, Pantries are also bringing a range of social and health positives:

• 82 per cent of members surveyed said they feel more connected to their community
• 97 per cent say they’re more able to afford to eat balanced meals
• 75 per cent are eating more fresh fruit and vegetables
• 83 per cent say they feel less stressed or worried about running out of food

The surveys were coordinated by Feeding Britain and an analysis of the combined results concluded that 'food clubs represent one of the most promising place-based approaches to tackling hunger in the UK'.

It said, 'Food clubs can and must form a part of a multi-layered strategy to eliminate hunger from the UK, demonstrating that affordable, nutritious food can be a vehicle for transformation, not just survival, and that with strategic support, this transformation can be sustained and scaled.'

James Henderson, Pantry network coordinator, said, ‘Pantries are real places of hope that bring communities together, and enable people to unite and improve each other’s lives together. Reaching one million visits is a testament to the kindness and goodness of all the volunteers, members and supporters across the UK, but also to the effectiveness of the approach. 

‘Pantries are no substitute for economic justice - the Government needs to step up and ensure everyone has an adequate income to live on.

'But while we press for national change, membership food projects are incredibly transformative. Councils, faith groups or anyone else would struggle to find a better way to invest and support communities.’

Ed Powell, partner and impact manager at Co-op, a long-standing partner of Your Local Pantry, said, 'Pantries are a progressive step forward to help local people own their access to food, and the powerful membership model has cooperation at its heart. Pantries aren’t just about food - now, more than ever, they show the power of food to bring people from different backgrounds together in community.'

Marie Gilluley, chair of the SKylight Board in Stockport, where the first Pantries opened in 2013, said, 'It’s remarkable to see how something that began in Stockport has grown into a network serving communities across the UK. Reaching one million visits is an important milestone and a reflection of the steady, dedicated work of our members, volunteers and partners who make each pantry possible.' 
 

Stockport Homes Group first developed the model in 2013, and the Your Local Pantry social franchise is now run by a partnership between SKylight and Church Action on Poverty. Food is sourced primarily through Fareshare, and each Pantry also has its own local suppliers.

Find out more at yourlocalpantry.co.uk