We’ve been made aware of some damaging rumours circulating about how The Pantri operates. Until now, we’ve tried to stay out of this narrative, but concerns are being raised that it is confusing and impacting those that we’re trying to help. In this blog we will highlight clearly how The Pantri Operates to hopefully put to bed those rumours. We want to ensure that everyone in the community has access to a hand up should they need it. Our eco-shopping solution is the perfect way for people to have a more eco-conscious approach to food shopping and also save money during a cost of living crisis.
How The Pantri Operates
At The Pantri, our members pay £2 membership fee every 3 months. Baskets of food cost £4 and consist of:
- 4 Cupboard Staples
- 2 Fridge items
- 2 Frozen items
- 3 Fresh fruit or vegetable items
- 2 Bakery items
- 1 Personal items
- We also have a range of baby food and nappies available – ask in store what is available.
*Please be advised that this can vary from week to week depending on what items we have been able to source. To stay up to date with what we have in stock pay attention to our banner in the store.*
We’re now going to get into the rumours we’ve heard about The Pantri: –
“They’re selling out of date food”
We don’t sell out-of-date food. We pay to be a member of the Fareshare scheme. This membership provides us with a portion of the food we stock. Unlike some rumours you may have heard, it is not out-of-date food. Food that is past its best before date is usually reserved for the free donations Fareshare give out every night. The food we do secure is usually close to the end of life. On the advice of Fareshare we occasionally freeze the food to extend the life and ensure it avoids going to landfill. This is inline with their guidance. They have a document available for partners giving advice for this, as this photo shows here:
We will be updating our labels in line with the Fareshare best practice to make it easier for our customers to know when we received the food, when it was frozen and clearly highlight to them when the food should be used by. We highly recommend you follow the following guidance when choosing our frozen food for your baskets:
- Either use your items on day of purchase or refreeze immediately
- Defrost the food on the bottom shelf of your fridge
- Ensure it is totally defrosted before use
- Once defrosted it MUST BE used with 24 hours
If another organisation that claims to be affiliated with Fareshare tells you differently from this guidance it is possible they haven’t read the terms of their agreement or the best practice guide. We would discourage you from following their advice. To learn more, visit the Fareshare website.
“You barely get any food for your money”
Our customers are usually thrilled with what they are able to get for just £4. In fact, when our admin team did a shop they saved £16.46 when compared to the current prices at a supermarket. We do not claim that you can get an entire weekly shop within our Pantri. However, you can get a lot of items at a reduced price and prevent usable food going to landfill.
Here are some photos of what our Pantri members have taken of their hauls from Pantri.
*we checked the prices at Tesco on the Tesco app in May 2023. This basket was based on the following items: 3 fruit/veg items = Pak Choi, Celeriac and Chillis, 2 bakery items = Sub rolls and crumpets, 2 fridge items = hummus and salami, 2 freezer items = x2 packs of chicken and vegetable soup, 5 cupboard staples = pasta, lentils, tinned tomatoes, passata and meatballs.
“You’re not allowed to sell fareshare food”
It is common practice for Community pantries to charge a small fee per basket or a member subscription to cover the costs of their memberships. We charge members £2 every 3 months and £4 a basket.
It is well within the rules of Fareshare as they understand that organisations and community pantries have overheads to cover such as rent, staff costs and the Fareshare membership fee.
“They’re operating illegally”
We are a registered charity. The Pantri works in partnership with Caerphilly County Borough Council as part of the Food Network. Also, we are funded by Caerphilly County Borough Council and work within their strict guidelines. We assure you, we are operating legally. Those that say we are not have very little understanding of how we work, or who we are partnered with.
Any concerns you have about our operation please get in touch and we’d love to invite you in to see how we work.
“They deny people food parcels”
First and foremost, The Pantri is a community pantry. It is not a food bank. We have a blog explaining the difference between the two or we’ve summarised it here for you: –
However, we are run by Community Volunteers Wales. A charity that understand the pressures being felt in the local community during the Covid 19 pandemic and the following cost of living crisis. We regularly give out free food parcels to families and individuals who are in need. Our founders and Pantri Manager are happy to help anyone who is in food crisis. We also have a selection of baskets that have been donated. Just last month, five of our regular customers donated an extra basket so that people who cannot afford the £4 can have one for free.
We were extremely privileged that Phill Harvey Tyres donated £200 this month, meaning that thanks to this donation we have 50 baskets to give away to those in need. If you’re in need of a free basket Ask for Harvey when speaking to our Pantri staff and they’ll be happy to help you. We hope this gives you the confidentiality and the confidence to reach out and ask for the additional help you might need.
Our food parcels are available by messaging The Pantri Facebook page or the Community Volunteer Wales Facebook page.
We hope this clears up any misinformation you may have heard about us, and explains how The Pantri operates. To learn more, visit our About Us page or pop in for yourself and see how we operate first hand.