Food pantries, social supermarkets, and food clubs

 

A food pantry, sometimes called a social supermarket or food club, is where people can purchase food for a small cost, often via membership scheme. Items are often laid out as if in a shop allowing people to make choices about the food they’ll cook and eat. This food aid model emerged in Britain around 2016 but has existed in mainland Europe for much longer. 

 

For background information on these models, a useful resource is “The emergence of social supermarkets in Britain”, a report written by Dr Lopamudra Patnaik Saxena and Dr Chiara Tornaghi, published by the Research Centre of Agroecology, Water and Resilience at Coventry University.  This is an academic study, looking at how the model originated, the different types in existence, and also raises some concerns, such as the sustainability of models such as these.

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Feeding Britain provides a useful toolkit, with practical guidance on how to create a food club, membership models, referral forms, and so on. There is a UK-wide network of pantries called “Your Local Pantry” with over 120 member organisations registered.  Its website also has some useful guidance for pantries (though only member organisations can access the additional Member Resources section). 

 

There are clearly some advantages to a food pantry model, but IFAN believes there are also some critical questions that need to be considered:

• Do models like this further normalise charitable food aid, especially when branding involved?

• The redistribution of food surplus is often integral to these models. With this in mind, how do we avoid conflating  the food waste and food poverty problems?  (See IFAN's infographic “Food waste can’t solve food poverty”and this piece “Tackling food waste is not enough to fix the UK’s poverty crisis” by Sabine Goodwin)

• If it’s about giving people more dignity, are vouchers or even cash payments a better choice? (see IFAN's Using shopping vouchers or gift cards instead of/alongside food parcels for more information) 

• How can we make food pantries, social supermarkets, or food clubs sustainable by removing charitable funding, volunteer labour, and surplus food redistribution from the equation? (find out more in IFAN trustee Kemi Akinola’s blog “From food pantries to food resilience”)

 

 

Case Study from IFAN member: Roehampton Community Box, SW London

 

This case study looks at the Roehampton Community Box project (RCB) in south west London.  Their social supermarket model developed organically, as the organisation adapted to the Covid-19 pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis.

 

The RCB - which is an enterprise under Rackets Cubed charity - was originally an after-school program for struggling families, offering activities for children after school and a free meal.  It was founded in 2017 and in its initial period, it became clear that the meal was the most important part of the offering, and so this area was developed, offering local families a parcel of food with recipe cards.  The hub developed partnerships with Fareshare and the Felix Project in 2019, in order to supply the parcels.

 

In March 2020, schools were closed as part of lockdown and the food parcels became even more vital to those in need in the area. The hub made use of local surplus food and the scale of the operation increased. At the time, food parcels were packed according to what was available, and everyone received the same parcel. It became clear that doing it this way meant that food was wasted, with people not using what they didn’t want or need.  Plus, everyone was aware that giving someone a generic bag meant less dignity. 

 

The Hub started to trial a paid model in 2021, following some conversations with the Peckham Pantry. The first step was to ask beneficiaries whether they would be happy with this.  They put out a survey asking people whether they would like to be charged for food parcels.  An incredible 97% agreed that yes, they would.  Talking to people, it became apparent that doing it this way meant more autonomy and dignity, people said it would feel less like a charity.  It was agreed that a donation of £4 would be best.

 

The additional money generated meant that items could be bought rather than donations or surplus used.  This guaranteed a sufficient stock of essential but not inexpensive items such as sanitary protection. 

 

The Hub is situated in an underused council building, where there are two rooms - a red room where people can choose 4 items and a blue room where 8 items can be selected. Anyone can sign up for the hub, so long as within the SW15 postcode. People have to book a slot to use the hub, booked online the previous week.  People can access additional support with an advisor from Citizens Advice onsite. Money is taken using a “Sum Up” card machine on entry.  In certain circumstances, if a person is unable to pay the suggested donation fee,  the hub will give parcels without a donation.  No-one will be turned away without food. 

 

Key learnings from the RCB model

• Be prepared to evolve and adapt - there’s no ideal and circumstances change over time

• Ask people what they want, involve them in the process

• Having the right space is essential.  A pantry model may not be best if you’re in a space where you have to move in and out all the time.  There needs to be space for people to choose their items, but also space for deliveries.

 

Nikki Rossner, the CEO, says “We’re very proud of what we’ve done, we’ve enabled the community to help its own community.  But longer term, what we can do on a local level isn’t enough.  We need to put more money in people's pockets - current benefit levels are not sufficient.  And we need to make the whole process for getting support much simpler, it’s very complex for people to navigate and there’s too much admin involved.  Take the Free School Meals project  in London, a brilliant initiative but people found it tricky to know whether they were eligible and if so, how to apply”.

 

More information on RCB can be found here or feel free to contact CEO Nikki Rossner at nikkirossner@racketscubed.com