New research shows Local Pantries save members £21 a week and improve health and wellbeing!
(Scroll to the bottom to read our full social impact report.)
Page updated 18th July 2023
Members of one of the UK’s largest networks of community food Pantries are saving £21 a week on shopping and enjoying significantly improved health and well-being, new research reveals.
Your Local Pantry’s So Much More! report is published today, on the same day as the network’s 100th Pantry opens, at Aylesham in Kent.
The report involved extensive research into the impact of Local Pantries on individual members and neighbourhoods. It finds that:
- There are now more than 35,000 people benefiting from Pantry membership in nearly 13,000 households. [See footnotes for regional figures]
- Pantry members typically save £21 a week when they visit, meaning a potential saving of more than £1,000 a year.
- There were 226,000 Pantry visits UK-wide last year, saving members a total of £4.75m.
- Most Pantry members report improved household finances, better physical and mental health, new friendships and a strengthened community connection.
- All Pantries serve as stepping stones to additional local support, or provide it themselves.
- There are now around 2,000 volunteers across the Pantry network.
If Your Local Pantry had 100 members...
would say
being a member has improved household finances
would say
tackling food waste is important to them
would feel
more connected to their local community through the Pantry
would say
being a member has improved their physical health
would say
being a member has been good for their mental health
would have
made new friends
would say
they are eating less processed foods
would say
they now eat more fresh fruit and vegetables
would be
volunteering at the Pantry
Since we joined we can afford more for our children, e.g. better school shoes, ice-cream for a treat, occasionally.
Kingston Pantry
.. because the cost of the fuel prices have increased ... we just haven’t been able to save. We’re just lucky that we’ve got this. It provides me with a sense of security, knowing that we have the food to eat and we don’t have to worry about finding a large amount of money to do family shops.
Member of Hope Pantry, Merthyr Tydfil
