St Peter’s Community Centre has received £3,000 Community Funding to set up a food pantry and toddler activity sessions.
The food pantry and toddler sessions will be based in St Peter’s Community Centre Westfield, and available for the whole community. The funding from Abri will support their new:
- Food pantry, helping families within the local community with a regular extra food parcel every week. It will offer a range of foods and supported by FareShare.
- Weekly toddler sessions, with activities for children and giving parents/carers an opportunity to make friends, share experiences, develop skills, reduce social isolation and improve the wellbeing of parents/carers and children. The centre is already a hub for midwives, and this project will extend the support available to the community through linking with other partners to provide wider support and advice too.
Sarah Tuck, Centre Manager at St Peter’s Community Centre, said: “Our area is the fifth most deprived area of Somerset, and the pandemic has created an even bigger need for this type of support. People have become reliant on foodbanks, and the jump between the foodbank and the cost of a weekly shop for some families is simply too much. The funding from Abri will help us set up a pantry to help people access long-term support to feed their families healthy food, and also work out their budget.
“We are linked closely with local schools and are aware that there is a need for toddler sessions to help combat social inclusion and isolation. The toddler group at the centre was very popular pre-Covid-19, however this has now ended. The sessions will enable parents to have access to other services such Abri’s Employment Service’s job club, so parents/carers can access skills and training opportunities at the same time as providing a safe space for those who may feel isolated to meet and develop support networks.”
The Community Fund is part of Abri’s commitment to empowering lives and creating thriving communities, making them better places to live. Abri is one of the south of England’s largest housing providers and has awarded over £40,000 from its Community Fund to support local organisations and projects since April 2021.
Applications are decided on by its customer panel – Thriving Communities – made up of customers and those living in its communities. The panel said: “The food pantry will help families move away from relying on foodbanks and support them to eat healthy, on a budget, making them more independent. The toddler sessions will provide children with somewhere to play, make friends and learn vital skills through interacting with others, something that has been hampered due to the pandemic. And it’s great to see that they’re linked in with other services such as the NHS Trusts and providing employment sessions for example.”
Other successful applications for Abri’s Community Fund include:
- Driven Forward, received £3,000 to support the ongoing sustainment of the community fridge in Clewer and Dedworth, and to help families and adults who are financially struggling to provide food for their families and the community.
- Marvels and Meltdowns in Gosport, received £1,500, to improve health and safety measures in their new centre. They are a long-established group in Gosport supporting families of children on the autistic spectrum.
- Coach4u received £1,500 to hold summer events for 100 children aged 5-11 in Mansbridge.
- Buzz Action Foundation received £3,000 to provide youth club activities at the Bowman Centre in Amesbury, giving young, socially isolated people alternative opportunities for socialising and discharging physical energy.
“We believe the best ideas often come from the people who know and lie in our communities. And we’re committed to supporting and investing in our communities. We’re proud of the difference our Community Fund makes, driving change, transforming our communities and providing opportunities. It’s what our Community Strategy and five-year £15m investment is all about – empowering communities, improving health and wellbeing, and providing employment opportunities,” says Cita Jagot, Communities & Involvement Manager at Abri.
Abri’s Community Fund opens for applications three times a year, and organisations can apply for up to £3,000 to support a project in one of Abri’s communities. The next application window opens on 1 December 2020 and closes on 9 February 2022.
You can find out more about St Peter’s Food Pantry at
