Pennies Pantry

Aim

Pennies Pantries enable all in a community to purchase food for pennies without any conditions and receive help with personal finances.

Pennies Pantries are community food clubs, currently running in two West Lothian villages, with the intention to open more in 2022. Each club is owned and run by its members, who are able to purchase food supplied by West Lothian Financial Inclusion Network (WLFIN) for pennies. The club also acts as a hub to help identify individuals and families in need of support with personal finances, many struggling financially for the first time as a result of the pandemic and escalating energy bills. WLFIN-trained staff/volunteers will provide one-to-one support. Your donation will help pay for staff and volunteer training to provide this help, and to purchase extra food and essentials that we don't receive through donations.

With your help, Pennies Pantries can give people who are struggling financially access to any additional benefits they are entitled to and the confidence and skills to manage their family budgets more effectively.

We have passed our target of £2,000 thanks to all the very generous pledges from all you wonderful people who are supporting our small project. This means so much to our small team and all our volunteers. Additional funds will enable us to train more community volunteers to provide benefits advice and to purchase additional food and essentials beyond that donated by retailers.

Here are some stories from people who use Pennies Pantry:

"I am a grandmother and ended up looking after my small granddaughter  as my daughter is struggling. Pennies Pantry is a godsend as I just can't afford food for her."

A man was referred to Pennies Pantry as he had no money for food for himself, wife and grandchild after his mobility scooter broke down and he had to pay to fix it, with no more money coming in until the following week.

This project successfully funded on 12th April 2022