{"id":1080,"date":"2024-11-21T21:08:34","date_gmt":"2024-11-21T21:08:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sirenmag.net\/?p=1080"},"modified":"2024-11-29T17:50:13","modified_gmt":"2024-11-29T17:50:13","slug":"feed-the-people","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sirenmag.net\/index.php\/2024\/11\/21\/feed-the-people\/","title":{"rendered":"Feed the People"},"content":{"rendered":"

Since 2020 Peckham Pantry has provided cheap but healthy food to people on low incomes The vision was to trial and test a new way to support people on low incomes, opening six days per week at a shop on Peckham Park Road in South East London.<\/p>\n

The pleasant storefront allows locals to get a \u201csupermarket shop\u201d of a wide variety of goods at a discount rate. Members pay \u00a34.50 to get ten items of foodstuffs and some other requisites such as nappies. An item could be a tin of beans, 10 apples or a ready meal. The venture, run by local charity Pecan<\/a>, is sourced by supermarkets and other suppliers, so some items are short sell-bys or outdated (but still edible). I’d say the value of the average shop at the Pantry is about \u00a320-25, so its great value-for-money.<\/p>\n

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In the foyer you can get a hot coffee, peruse leaflets on local events, and now there’s even a mini library of ‘take or bring’ paperbacks to enjoy. Most of the smiley staff are volunteers.<\/p>\n

It’s a bit hit-and-miss what will be available: you can’t be sure to get a particular item, as you would in a conventional supermarket, but somehow the surprises make it more interesting \u2013 if you have say \u201cone blue\u201d left to spend (items are classified as \u201cblues\u201d or \u201creds\u201d – which are usually the pricier items so you can take fewer) you might try an unusual soup or take a punt \u2013 as I did \u2013 on a bag of wholemeal chapati flour.\u00a0\"\"<\/p>\n

The Pantry also sometimes has a few freebies, like veges or fruit that need to be eaten immediately, sauce sachets, or slightly stale pastries (that you can toast a bit to refresh them). Maybe it’s perverse, but I find the Pantry shopping more fun than ordinary supermarkets because of th\"\"e “pot luck” elements, and on weekdays you rarely have to queue.<\/p>\n

This venture is a boon to the locals: Peckham has a lot of social problems and deprivation, so the availability of a good quantity of decent food is welcome. It’s not junk food either, the selection is high-quality, and it’s not unusual to find \u201cposh brands\u201d among the offerings on the shelves.<\/p>\n

Overall, Peckham Pantry is a successful positive venture for the community. As you are paying for the goods it doesn’t have the stigma of a food bank, yet allows people on restricted incomes to buy healthy food.<\/p>\n

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