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Hello! Welcome to The Pantri! We are Risca’s eco-shopping solution for those looking for a sustainable lifestyle on a budget. If you are looking to lower your carbon impact, without breaking your bank balance then we are the solution for you. According to WRAP, food waste accounts for 10% of the total green house emissions globally. Join us at The Pantri, a sustainable grocery store in South Wales to help cut your personal and your community’s carbon footprint.
The Pantri is brought to you by Community Volunteers Wales. Our mission is to create empowered and robust self-sufficient communities across Wales. Founded at the start of lockdown in March 2020 we sought to help those forgotten and overlooked. What started as collecting shopping and vital medication for those totally isolated by the pandemic has developed into over 200 volunteers striving for a collective impact within the community. Our founders Dawn Derraven and Tara Holloway-Scott have worked continuously to ensure those most vulnerable in our community have a support network. We firmly believe in giving everyone in the community the option for a hand up, not just a hand out.
Why was The Pantri Launched?
During our work in lockdown we saw the need in the community for a place where those who were struggling financially could have the opportunity to help themselves out of hardship. Foodbanks offer a wonderful lifeline to people in our community, and we have proudly supported food banks through our generous Tin on a Wall donations. The Pantri is the next step in helping people in create a sustainable lifestyle that supports their budget. We’re thrilled that we are expanding after an amazing first year and now we can serve more people in the community.
Dawn Derraven, Co-founder of Community Volunteers Wales
During The Pantri’s first year at it’s first home as part of We Connect Coffee Shop (now named Snug Coffee Shop), over two hundred members signed up to be a part of the sustainable and affordable venture. Open for just two hours on two days of the week, The Pantri was able to supply 450 meals per hour that it was open, redirecting 300kg of food from landfill every single week. We now have aspirations of redirecting more food from landfill and reaching more members who are interested in affordable sustainable living.
The Pantri is regularly supplied with food donations from Fairshare. We pay a subscription, securing a substantial amount of food every week. We also are always looking for donations from other local businesses, Tesco, Morrisons and Aldi have been keen supporters of us from the start. For me the sustainability aspect The Pantri is having on the community is amazing. We’ve helped save 156,000kg of carbon emissions by redirecting food from landfill, the methane saved we’ve estimated to be more than 22 times that figure. We really are helping create a more sustainable South Wales.
Tara Holloway-Scott, Co-founder of Community Volunteers Wales
Unlike a food bank, a community pantry is for all and is not means tested. Anyone can take advantage of the amazing savings towards the fresh food on offer. Please don’t worry that you are taking food from people who need it more than you, the Pantri staff will be able to source more food the busier we become. The goal for us is creating a sustainable and eco-friendly grocery shopping experience in Risca high street. The added benefit is that you can get a basket of food for just £4! You can really boost your weekly shop and dramatically lower you shopping bills.
There are many ways you can get involved with The Pantri:
