Are you able to help Feed the Hungry, as they create a Community Pantry, that will bring a lifeline for people in need? Not just providing food, but also being a listening ear, a friend and a people who pray.
I went to visit this amazing charity and the venue of this new Community Pantry. I discovered more about the project, heard some of Elaine's story and even did a little decorating . . .
Are you able to financially support this project? We are raising £6,000 to convert an empty space into a community pantry. We need funding to provide suitable flooring, shelving, plus industrial fridges and freezers.
Feed the Hungry is an organisation, working to alleviate food poverty, to help people become self sustainable and to walk alongside people, families, schools, communities on a journey from survival to stability, sustainability and finally significance.
Feed The Hungry UK is a solution provider for the needs of hungry individuals, families and communities. Established in the UK in 2005, three goals motivate and sustain all our projects:
- We feed those who are hungry.
- We empower the church worldwide to reach local communities in need.
- We share hope.
They work around the world, providing school-based feeding programmes, vocational training and community farming projects, sharing hope in all that is done.
Foodbanks are a fantastic and necessary safety net for families in crisis. But, when there are long-term financial problems crippling families’ budgets, a one-off food parcel isn’t going to help. This is where The Community Pantry steps in.
The Community Pantry is a subsidised membership-only supermarket. A Pantry member pays £5 and gets £25 worth of shopping. They can choose this themselves, selecting the items much like you would in a supermarket.
The Community Pantry is more than a subsidised food service: it is an opportunity for members to tackle the root causes of their financial struggles, with the support and guidance of the team.
Elaine's Story.
“Around seven years ago my husband and I started to volunteer for Feed the Hungry after we retired from education. We believed God had some work for us to do, holding on to the verse in Jeremiah 29 v 11 ‘For I know the plans I have for you’ declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future’. We knew the CEO of Feed The Hungry prior to our volunteering and we were keen to work in a Christian charity.
We packed food and clothes, worked within schools on feeding programmes, taking assemblies and lessons and during covid we carried out deliveries to those in need who were shut in but needed a food parcel. We delivered food parcels with the mobile Food Pantry across Leicestershire and parts of Warwickshire for those in food poverty.
"We delivered food parcels in various locations. Higham Way Baptist Church, our local church, was one of the locations. We worked with Feed The Hungry in this initiative and as a church, we set up a warm welcome to the service users, providing refreshments, a chat and any support required whilst they waited for the pantry to arrive.
"However our role is first and foremost to save souls and then provide food for those in food poverty. To this end we are currently undertaking building work to convert our cellar into a useable storage area from which service users will be able to select their food for a small donation. Andy a local resident has been giving his time to help with a first coat of paint. Will you help us to complete this project?"
"We have built up good relationships with many of the service users and several share their stories with us and ask us to pray for and with them. One lady has had a lot of medical issues and has asked for prayer for healing and strength to cope with the treatment, another recently lost her husband, a few days before I lost my husband and together we support each other through this bereavement. She has recently been attending our church and wants to volunteer to help out at the Pantry."
We currently have around 16-20 service users per week who will take up the Mobile Pantry facility, with new users signing up most weeks. We believe this will grow as the cost of living continues to rise and other nearby pantries have closed. Many see what we do as a lifeline for them, both in feeding them physically, but also just being a listening ear, a friend and a people who pray for them."
I had an amazing time visiting the team in Hinkley. I am convinced that many lives will be changed through this Pantry. Are you able to help us get this project off the ground? Thank you so much.