Feed Cheltenham was established as a response to the pandemic in March 2020. Fearing a lot of people would struggle financially due to furlough or job loss, several businesses, charities and churches gathered together to raise money which was converted into supermarket vouchers and given to families that were in need.
Prior to the pandemic, Cheltenham had one food bank and one community pantry. It now has six pantries, all run by a different charity or voluntary agency, and the foodbank works out of four sites across the town. Feed Cheltenham became an ‘umbrella’ organisation with which each of the community pantries agreed to work, allowing us to act as a representative of food insecurity at Council meetings and support the six pantries through regular meetings.
What the project involves
The project seeks to manage a coordinated pantry network across the town in such a way that delivery looks very similar no matter which side of the town you live on, ensuring people do not have to travel to ‘get a better offer’.
Key areas of focus include:
- Systemic alignment: Getting Cheltenham pantries to act together on joint initiatives, such as raising the pantry weekly cost all on the same week and welcoming Healthy Start Cards on the exact same week.
- Targeted voucher distribution: Developing a trusted network of professionals through schools and charities who issue supermarket vouchers to families where needed and report back to Feed Cheltenham.
- Financial safety nets: Offering a ‘free week voucher’ on occasions where a one-off expenditure means a household does not have the £4 for a shop, ensuring the pantry doesn’t turn anyone away while still covering operational costs.
- Communication channels: Keeping channels open across the network to facilitate discussions about bulk purchases and cost-saving options for the future.
Examples of the work in action
- Network communication: Using practical systems like a dedicated WhatsApp group to share resources, cooperating closely with the local food bank, and utilising a donated van to transport goods around the town (such as a weekly milk donation).
- Substantial weekly support: Successfully reaching about 500-550 households each week across the Cheltenham pantries. The network uses a shared approach to encourage people to only use the pantries on the weeks they truly need them, rather than shopping every week out of habit.
- Asylum seeker inclusion: Maintaining active links with Cheltenham Welcomes Refugees to fully support local asylum seekers each week with free food.
Plans for the future
There is a need to focus on the long-term sustainability of the system, with ever-increasing costs of food and numbers of shoppers remaining fairly static. We will continue to look at options for bulk purchasing and saving costs where possible. Feed Cheltenham is also involved with two other agencies – Open Door and the Cheltenham Foodbank – in a mapping exercise of donations across the town from retailers and hospitality to make the absolute best use of all excess food.
