November 22, 2022 03:39pm
The Portsmouth Academy's Senior Student Leaders visited the North End Pantry last week to learn about the important work they do to help the local community. The Pantry offers a low cost weekly shop while at the same time working with supermarkets through the Fareshare program to reduce food waste. In the 18 months since the Pantry, located at the North End Baptist Church, opened they estimate that they have saved 30 tonnes of food from going to waste. They rely on volunteers to help the operation run smoothly.
Members of the public can register to become a Pantry member and for a £4 fee, members are able to do a weekly shop to purchase 10 food items of their choice. Bread and toiletries are free. The toiletries are free because the Pantry want people to have dignity and not have to choose between eating and washing. The Pantry staff can also advise members on how to use the items available to create healthy meals.
When the North End Pantry first opened in April 2021, they served 39 people in their first week. The demand has now grown so that they are serving almost 39 people per day. They currently have 800 members, 55% of which are young families. This year the Pantry are unable to offer a Christmas hamper but members can choose 1 extra item each week from the Christmas shelves in preparation for the holidays.
After being welcomed to the Pantry by Tracey it was time for the students to get stuck in. Under the direction of Jo and Lou, they stocked the Christmas shelves, unpacked and sorted various food items and toiletries and took an inventory of Christmas items.
Tahidul said:
I’m happy that struggling people are being helped. It was good to see the whole process of how it worked and how it was organised. The staff there really care about helping people and give to others as much as possible.
Halimah said:
I like that it was open to everyone who is struggling. There was only a small selection of toiletries and I hope people will donate more toiletries.
Miss Masters, Lead Teacher for Personal Development said:
It's nice to have such close links to such an amazing resource in our community. As a school we are proud to continue to support their work as we have done annually with our House Hamper competition which is currently open for collection.
The North End Pantry is located in the North End Baptist Church and serves residents of the PO2 and PO3 postcode areas. There are 2 additional locations in Portsmouth; Portsea serving PO13 and St Mag’s serving PO4 and PO5. The Oasis Landport location, serving the PO1 postcode area, is opening in December.
To learn more about the Pantry please visit https://www.yourlocalpantry.co.uk/
To visit the North End Pantry’s Facebook page visit: https://www.facebook.com/groups/northendpantry/