Community pantry - what would make you join?

[AquaFaba]

Looking for some advice, please. Along with a couple of others living in our small town, we are looking into setting up a community pantry.
For those who might be unfamiliar with the term, this is where people pay a small fee per visit (eg, £5) and receive a heavily subsidised basket of groceries, with a value of around £15-20.

It's proving a lot harder than we envisaged to set this up, namely as we don't have a fixed, permanent venue where we can install fridges and freezers. Although we have the kind offer of a church hall, we won't be able to store goods there either; it will simply be a distribution point.

We have tried to find a fixed venue to no avail. My worry is that if we are only offering tinned/dried goods, this is going to make our offer far less attractive - and I don't think people will be so interested in paying to use a community pantry with such a limited range.

My ask is for anyone here who has experience of using a community pantry. What can we do in such limited circumstances? What would you want to pay for ?
Thanks

What a great set up - is it an empty shop you're using? Wondering if the Council own it, or if they've had to make a deal with the landlord.

@SushiGo it is an empty shop that the council owns, on a run-down parade.

They've set up/supported others in tenants' halls and similar; they have (contra to the reputation of councils everywhere!) been a joy to work with and have helped us with fundind applications etc.

Where are you getting the food from then?

I really don’t understand what you’re trying to achieve, food banks exist, it seems you’re trying to charge people for food?

I’ve seen some on news where it’s more
Like a shop you have basket and get what you need and like. So step up from food bank where it’s get what you are given. The price is so you feel like bargain shop rather than charity and more sustainable for long term use.

Although if you focus on reduce waste you get a lot happy people who can well afford buy it hanging on the green bandwagon “I’ve got £50k in savings but I spend £1.29 week on food”. Rather than being community supermarket to allow people make budgets go much further with much better choice.

I agree with PP about pantry to me that’s joe down road has 8 sacks apples he’s donated on table so take what you need or it rot in ground. Again totally for everyone no charity involved just making most of extra food and sharing it around community

We have several near us in different villages ...all donated ..no charge for those getting the items...tbh I've never heard anyone charging. Paying £5 for £15 worth of food you not chosen so you might not like it and you limited money...ok if free but if £5 that's alot

The way ours and others work is that it resembles a supermarket as far as possible - we have volunteers asking people if they want this item, that item etc, and then fruit and veg is laid out for customers to see and choose. So no one gets a random bag - each person specifies what they want. We have more sensitive items (sanitary towels, for example) out for people to help themselves. There is variation in what's available each week - for example, last week was thousands of courgettes and meat from one of the home cooking co's in abundance, but it's always balanced out with rice, pasta, fresh bread, tinned soup, tinned meals (we have a lot of people with limited cooking facilities), biscuits, randoms snacks/drinks (we get allllll the failed product launches), dairy items, tea/coffee, other meat and typically 5-10 kinds of fruit and veg. We occasionally have nappies, loo roll etc, and a hotel recently donated zillions of tiny shampoos and soaps.

We did try have people help themselves but it was a bit of a free for all and didn't work - people were taking insane quantities, sometimes of items they didn't feasibly need. So we went back to counter service.

I'd only use it if I could choose my own groceries - I wouldn't want a pre-packed basket of stuff I might not use.

You'd also have to advertise it outside Facebook etc. as I'm not on anything like that - I'd read a leaflet through the door, though, or an advert in a local traders booklet.

We have one but there is no charge - people can make a donation if they want. £5 sounds like a lot, considering the type of people who are likely to use it will have a low income

Ours is a fridge and shelf in a local cafe. They have sessions hosted by volunteers when you can pick up food or drop it off. Its a food waste initiative and no charge. What you need op is to tap into the rich seam of businesses and individuals who want to help these feel good projects. Not sure the charge will work out though - and surely you only want people to take what they can /will use? Why not let people leave a donation if they are able to.

I wouldn't use it because I don't understand what it's for. I wouldn't want a lot of stuff that I didn't choose as then I might be creating more food waste!

It's not a food bank because you have to pay £5.

Is it to avoid food waste and if so where does the £5 go?

we had something similar at local
allotments.
they installed a small shed with large shevles for preserved food (jam, chuntey, passata, pasta sauces) and eggs and a large fridge and freezer.

they had to stop after a short while as some people took the piss and took everything. also attempted break ins. and people putting tubs filled with manure on shelves.

basically if it's not well managed then it brings out the worst of people.

To those asking about the differences between this and a food bank - the latter often has referral criteria and limits on the number of visits a person can make each year, and they often have some stigma attached. Typically they will have less fresh stuff too, though this varies. Calling it a community pantry and emphasising the food waste element can address both. As can asking for a small voluntary payment for those that can afford it.

Where the food comes from - we get a tonne a week from local supermarkets who've signed up to a food waste reduction scheme, and more via a redistribution network that mainly consists of unsuccessful/seasonally inappropriate products - so easter eggs and legs of lamb in May, soup when it turns unseasonably warm, KFC flavour crisps (??) that amazingly didn't sell...

Wycombe Food Hub is broadly the model you’re describing. No referral needed and a combined goal of assisting those in need and minimising fold waste.

wycombefoodhub.org/

Do you have any run down shopping centres in your town? I’d strongly encourage you to approach the landlord. Charities don’t pay business rates and the landlord will be paying high empty rates on vacant units. Most (mainly the big guys - L&G, Hammerson etc) also have CSR objectives to meet and providing vacant space to charities is helpful towards that.

I wouldn’t use it as I’m not actually sure of the purpose of it. I also only make sure we buy what I need so food doesn’t go to waste. . We have a local community cupboard that collects food that would otherwise be thrown by local businesses and you can collect food for free no questions asked. Some of the local allotment holders give them their surplus fruit and veg too. They started with one fridge and a freezer shelf in the community centre (think that was donated) and are now in an unused shop in the town supported by the council. It’s fab, stops food being thrown and also if anyone is struggling for food they can turn up.

I wouldn't use it, no.

A client of mine uses our local one, but the quality seems to vary massively week by week. She's also vegetarian (and has told them that) and regularly receives things like meat pies or chicken soup

If it was free and you could pick (within reason) what you wanted then I could understand it but I wouldn't want to pay to receive a load of food I might not like or use.

this is a similar project to what you might be suggesting.

If it's about avoiding food waste you wouldn't have dried/tinned goods?

Not necessarily. The one I've seen has dried or tinned stuff sometimes - say if you bought a pack of three of something as it was on offer then realised you didn't like it (or the kids that loved it last week have gone off it!) you could donate it.

I used to volunteer in a food bank in U.K. we used to take anything a very big supermarket wanted rid of. We often got donations of really good quality food that was unsaleable e,g expensive oils where a bottle had broken and seeped over the labels of other bottles that were in the pallet. It stopped it going to landfill só win win.. Also used to get end of lines etc etc. Including lots of toiletries which had been redesigned.

Not necessarily. The one I've seen has dried or tinned stuff sometimes - say if you bought a pack of three of something as it was on offer then realised you didn't like it (or the kids that loved it last week have gone off it!) you could donate it.

Plus stuff with labelling errors - a while back we had 200kg of instant pasta and sauce labelled Chicken and Mushroom which was actually Chicken and Leek, that kind of thing. Or when companies change their branding and need to shift old stock.

We once had boxes and boxes - hundreds of packets - of M+S Christmas chocolate teacakes, that were supposed to be gingerbread flavour, but they didn't have enough ginger flavour in them so they couldn't be sold in stores. They were in perfect condition, in date and delicious and would have just been thrown away.

I was involved with a local food pantry, they got the bulk of the food from FareShare and then started bulk buying fruit and veg to give cheap boxes.

They did have very limited perishables but most of the stuff was cupboard stuff. They had amazing donations, a lot of it was the supermarket premium ranges and after holidays you would also get the excess Christmas and Easter stock.

It was £2 a week for 5 items and then an extra £2 for the fruit and veg box. It was no questions asked, anyone in the community could use it.

I used to use it and got loads of dairy free stuff for DD.

It is really popular, it was really sad to see queues snaking round the community centre car park during lockdown. There are so many people who struggle but don't qualify for foodbanks. It is also more dignified since you are able to choose your own food instead of being given what other people say you need to eat.

We have a local one. It's £2 for one bag for life and it's one bag per family I think, you have to book a collection slot and there's a limit.
I don't really understand it, everyone drives to it for a start. I think it's a mixture of people in need and wanting to reduce food waste maybe.

I use one.
It's run by a charity organisation called your local pantry.
They have a Facebook page and website www.yourlocslpantry.co.uk
It's £3.50 for at least 10 items and fresh fruit and veg is free and you can use once a week or less but at least once a month.
It's emphasis is on subsiding households who are struggling financially rather than food waste issues. (My city has these also)
I get esa and pip and it's been a god send.
It has a variety of cupboard staples, fresh and frozen Irems as well.
It was set up as it was realised there were families who whilst not exactly needing a food bank did require help stretching their cash.
Plus you choose your shopping and get what you require.

Why would you charge £5 to use? For some people it would be safer to spend that on food.

We have one of these the local coop donates leftover stuff at the end of the night and someone used to pick up at a further afield big Tesco once a week via Olio but had to stop as they werent using the app to give it away.

It's suggested donation of £1 for five items but they also function as a foodbank. So will sort out bags of shopping for those in need for free if you ask them. You can call in advance and they will prepack so you can just pop in and collect.

I've only used it a couple of times like when they've been donated 10 crates of raspberries that are best before the previous day. I'll take loads and make jam. Some of which I donated back to the food pantry which made a nice circle of giving :)