June marks one year since Abri’s mobile community pantry van first drove into Crewkerne and began supporting the locals with cheap food shops during the cost-of-living crisis.
Since launching, the van has visited four stops around Crewkerne every Monday, only closing for two weeks over Christmas and two weeks in August. It already has 64 members, who have purchased 510 food shops so far, saving them around £5,865 on shopping and preventing 3,360kg of food going into landfill.
The top three reasons members said they are using the mobile pantry are because:
- they are experiencing financial challenges
- they want to reduce food waste
- to support their local community.
The pantry has received some excellent feedback from its members, with one calling it ‘brilliant’, another describing it as ‘a lifesaver’ and another saying it’s ‘a good service’ and ‘it’s helped me greatly.
Bobby Tait, Community Development Officer at Abri, said:
“I have great pride when taking the mobile pantry van out to Crewkerne each Monday. To be able to provide good quality, well-priced food that would have otherwise been bound for landfill for our communities is so satisfying. I also really enjoy catching up and having a laugh with the regulars- they are all so appreciative of the service which is a lifeline for many of them.
“Recently, I’ve been taking the van to Abri’s Bishops Court Independent Living scheme in Chard. It has already been very well received, especially by our customers who are experiencing financial challenges and have mobility issues.
“I’m so proud of all the success our mobile community pantry van has achieved in its first year and I look forward to continuing to support our communities with this valuable resource.”
Abri’s mobile community pantry van will continue to serve the communities of Crewkerne and Chard. It parks up every Monday at:
- Bishops Court, Chard – 12.30pm to 1pm
- Scout hut, Furland road, Crewkerne 2pm to 2.15pm
- Barn close, Crewkerne – 2.30pm to 2.45pm
- Bowhayes Lodge, Crewkerne – 3pm to 3.15pm
- Severalls road, Crewkerne – 3.30pm to 3.45pm
To find out more, contact Bobby Tait on robert.tait@abri.co.uk.
Follow the progress of the pantry on Facebook and Instagram @mobilecommunitypantry
