On 15th January 2024 we were honoured to welcome The Scouts 5th Risca to The Pantri. The Scouts had been learning about what we do at The Pantri, and the efforts of Community Volunteers Wales so we extended an invite so they could see how we operate first hand. The visit was co-ordinated and facilitated by our founder Tara Holloway-Scott who welcomed our local beavers to raise awareness for what the Pantri does for their community.

A collaboration between our community Pantri and the Scouts is designed to enhance awareness of food budgeting in younger generations. Considering the current cost of living crisis learning the importance of food budgeting and being able to cook meals from cupboard essentials brings forth a multitude of positive benefits.

Partnering for the Community

Community Volunteers Wales are proudly here to serve the community, now and always. A collaboration with the Scouts, that have similar core values to us was a natural partnership and we can’t wait to foster and grow. We’re looking to partner with schools and clubs throughout the local area so that we can empower young people with their food choices.

This partnership presents a unique opportunity to integrate practical lessons in financial literacy and responsible consumption. By actively involving students in spreading awareness about efficient food budgeting practices, we not only contribute to The Pantri’s sustainability but also equip our young learners with valuable skills. This collaborative approach reinforces the sense of community, teamwork, and shared responsibility, aligning perfectly with the ethos of scouting.

What a Visit at Pantri Involves

I wanted to ensure that the Beavers got the most from their visit. Educating children about food, the choices they make and how to budget effectively is so important. At Pantri, we have an eco-message that I wanted the children to understand. With all this in mind, I developed a lesson plan for the visit so our local Beavers got the absolute most from their visit and take away valuable life skills that will stick with them.

Tara Holloway Scott

Dusting off her old lesson planning abilities, Tara got to work compiling what she believed to be the core messages to the group. The lesson plan focuses on:

• What is landfill – We focused a little on explaining what landfill waste is to the children and how we need to reduce it as much as possible. We also focused on the difference between use by and best before dates.
• What is surplus food – We explained what is surplus food in supermarkets, and explaining that it often ends up in landfill.
• Making their own meal choices – We allow a creative session where the children can fill their baskets and make meals using items available in The Pantri
• Building confidence with budgeting meals – The children can feedback on what their favourite healthy meals are and if they are able to make them with Pantri items.
• Crisis Packages – What are our Crisis packages, what we include and who needs them and why.
• The importance of volunteering in your community – We are proudly volunteer run, so we spend some time talking about the important role volunteering has within the community and the benefits volunteering can have to them.

Who are the Scouts?

The scouts are a worldwide organisation that encourage giving people aged between six and twenty five the skills they need for school, college, university, the job interview, the important speech, the tricky challenge and the big dreams; essentially preparing them for every day life. The Scout Association is the UK’s biggest mixed youth organisation with nearly 620,000 members.

They focus on developing teamwork and leadership skills whilst promoting resilience and compassion. It’s a worldwide movement, creating stronger communities and inspiring positive futures.

Finally, as a lovely parting gift, which was inkeeping with their values, The Beavers left a selection of warm winter packs on what was the coldest week to ensure our Pantri customers had a little pick me up.

Want to arrange your visit?

We are open to welcoming schools and other groups to our Pantri outside our opening hours. We would be happy to facilitate your group and can tailor our lesson plans accordingly. If you think you would benefit from a class visit to the Pantri please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us. Either use our contact page or email [email protected] to arrange your visit.