VOLUNTEERS from the West Somerset Food Cupboard’s Local Pantry (WSFC) held a double celebration on Monday (May 8) as they took part in the coronation weekend’s The Big Help Out as a tribute to King Charles’s public service and also marked the pantry’s first anniversary.

The pantry has created an estimated 20,000 meals in its first year, a feat which it could not have achieved without the support of its volunteers.

For The Big Help Out, they lent a hand with a range of tasks, including stock taking and the quarterly deep clean, which ensure the operation of providing emergency food parcels and the weekly pantry runs as smoothly and efficiently as possible.

WSFC has been providing emergency food from St Michael the Archangel Church, Alcombe, since 2007, and last year established the local pantry, which is a membership scheme formed through a partnership agreement with supermarket surplus charity Fareshare South West and the former Somerset West and Taunton Council’s Local Pantries initiative.

The scheme allows 40 local members living within a 15-minute travel time of Alcombe to access at minimal cost fresh, chilled, and non-perishable supermarket food which would otherwise have gone to waste.

Members collect their food at an agreed time each week and can benefit from the arrangement for up to six months.

Every Tuesday, the pantry volunteers receive and sort surplus supermarket food and locally sourced foods. 

It is allocated into 40 portions which can then be turned into family meals for £3.50 per week.

Operations manager Ali Sanderson said: “We are so grateful to our volunteers for generously giving us their time to support the Local Pantry.

“They are all an absolute joy to work with, and we are so appreciative for their commitment, enthusiasm, and support.

“Our volunteers allow us to provide this valuable service every week and here on our first birthday of the Local Pantry, I want to thank them for enabling us to reach this milestone.”

Katrina Midgley, who chairs West Somerset Food Cupboard, said: “We are delighted to be able to celebrate our first birthday with our volunteers.

“In just one year, the team has grown from four to 46 people, including volunteers, staff, and trustees.

“We have given out around 1,500 emergency food parcels in 2022 and now have 40 households who attend our weekly Local Pantry.

“Nobody in West Somerset needs to go hungry.”

WSFC is currently recruiting for a treasurer to join its board of trustees.

More information on the voluntary position can be found on the website www.wsfoodcupboard.org.uk or by emailing [email protected].