Pantries are about so much more than food - and we love hearing how they lead to new friendships and connections.

We had a lovely chat this week with Helen and Katie at Southcote Pantry in Reading. They met while paying for their shopping - then realised they lived right above and below each other in the same block of flats, and they’ve now become good friends.

Katie said: “We both came here one week, not knowing each other. Our nearest cash-point didn’t have any £10 notes, so I couldn’t get money out, and we can’t pay by card at the Pantry. Helen heard me and kindly asked if I wanted to borrow £5. Then the next week came and I paid her back and we got chatting about where we live. She pointed out where she lived, and I told her I lived in the flat above!

 

“We joined the Pantry together, and feel it was just meant to be. If we hadn’t come that day, we wouldn’t be friends now.”

 

Helen said: “It was the first time I had ever brought extra money along. I’d just had a feeling I should bring an extra fiver, and then I heard Katie say she needed to borrow! Since then we’ve become very good friends through the Pantry, and we are both volunteering together as well now. Pantry is not just about food - it’s about connections.”

 

Helen and Katie both say the Pantry has been fantastic for them. Helen says: “I know that if I’m getting low on food, I have got this coming up on a Tuesday. It’s been a godsend. And we’ve met other people here; it’s a lovely little atmosphere.”

 

Katie says: “The value for what we pay is absolutely unbelievable. Sometimes you can get amazing things - one time I got a pepperoni selection, and its usual price would have been £8 on its own! It’s brilliant here.”