The town of 250,000 that revolutionised its food system
The town of Reading, in Berkshire, has revolutionised its community food work in the past two years.
Faith Christian Group has opened eight Your Local Pantries with nearby churches, and plans to open two more – with the aim of ensuring everyone in the town has one within walking distance.
Andy Dickens, director of FCG, says it became a charity in the 1990s, focused on providing support for local homeless people. It then began running a home-delivery food bank, and Pantries then felt a natural next step.
Everyone in Reading should be able to walk to a Pantry
He says: “We deliver food parcels to about 170 households each week, to people who have been referred to us in crisis.
“From that, about two years ago, we started our first Pantry. The vision was the next step up for people to get out of poverty but also with wrap-around services and support.
“Norcot was our first one, and in the subsequent 24 months we’ve gone to eight.
“The food bank is emergency supplies of food for people in crisis, and the Pantry is the next step up. People pay £5 and get about £25 worth of groceries. There’s dignity, choice and hope there and we encourage churches to see Pantries as part of their mission to the community.
“The churches collect and get volunteers etc. We have about 80 volunteers giving 240 hours a week of time. This makes the pantries sustainable in the long-term.
“We facilitate and support to ensure each Pantry has wrap-around services, like assistance and advice. We work with Christians Against Poverty who help people out of debt, as well as a furniture charity, Citizens advice and other community groups that do things like cookery courses. We are currently trying to migrate to healthy Pantries, to get more fresh food in.
“We have eight Pantries because we are a town of about 250,000 people. Most people we work with are lonely or isolated and most do not have transport, so we want people to be able to walk to have this opportunity.
“In estates or low-income communities, the Pantries are all within walking distance. And when we have ten, anyone in Reading should be able to access a Pantry. The ninth will open imminently, and the tenth will probably open in the autumn. We are engaged with the council as well; they love the model.”
Reading Pantries build community
Andy says the Pantries have really strengthened community in their neighbourhoods. Last autumn, members at Coley Park Pantry spent several months crocheting a Christmas tree, which was unveiled at a special community event for local residents, Pantry members and church members.
He adds: “At Norcot there is a real community with friends who use the church hall for other activities. There is a great cake baker in that Pantry and they bring in cakes. It’s people getting back to knowing their neighbours. It’s local people helping local people.
“Each Pantry has stories of people who have journeyed with them and joined different craft clubs, parent and toddler groups, other groups, or joined churches.
“Without the Pantry work, they would never have come across each other and joined in with other things. We had one man who came on Friday, and he had not seen anyone since being diagnosed with terminal cancer on the Tuesday. We helped someone with pension benefits to get £10,000 of back payments that been due, as they were on the wrong benefit.
“Someone else said they wouldn’t need to come back, because they had got out of severe debt. It’s little shoots of life and the vision is to support people with subsidised food, healthy lifestyles and support them on a journey of faith.
What Pantries mean for churches in Reading
“When we set up, churches see this as part of their social aid action arm, making a meaningful and intentional difference. There are people finding each other, finding faith, finding connection and finding friendship.
“The churches we are dealing with are getting people across the threshold who would never come on a Sunday morning, and they are meeting new people and new connections.
“It’s a great opportunity for local churches to make a difference to people struggling, and really support people on a journey of faith. Churches see it as part of their mission.”
FCG is also exploring getting more involved in advocacy and helping people do campaigning work.
Andy says: “The charity is thinking through what’s important to us from a Christian perspective. Jesus showed mercy to individuals but more than that he brought God’s justice to society, so we are working deliberately and intentionally with MPs, councillors, national charities to try to get more understanding of what’s happening and formulating our thoughts.
“We want to be able to look back in ten years and see how we have made a difference and raised voices.”
