Anyone who for any reason is experiencing financial hardship which is likely to go on for a while.

Unfortunately the Pantries are only accessible on payment of the membership subscription.

Food Pantry is similar to a foodbank in that it is set up to help people who are struggling – but there are some differences. The Pantry has a membership scheme so you can visit each week rather than as a one off. At Pantry you can chose what food items you take home with you, and there is fresh and frozen food too.

Members cannot belong to both the Southport Trussell Trust Food Bank and the Pantry.

A lot of your kitchen cupboard favourites like cereal, tinned goods, pasta and biscuits; as well as fresh items like milk and cheese and some frozen foods. Also available are household products and toiletries. We often have things like bread and fresh veg, which are offered as extras.

A great deal of effort goes in to ensuring both the quality and the safety of the food we give out at our Pantries. We are very proud to hold a 5 star rating from Environmental Health at all of our sites.

The Pantry does not stock food that is past it’s ‘use by date’ as this could be harmful to health and it is against the law.  However, we do sometimes stock items that are slightly past their ‘best before’ date. The British Food Standards Agency says, “‘Best before’ dates are about quality, not safety.  Manufacturers put a best ‘before date’ on food packaging to indicate how long the food will be at its best quality.  When the date is passed, it doesn’t mean that the food will be harmful, but it may begin to lose its taste, aroma or texture but still remains edible and safe”. With regards to eggs, the advice is that providing they are cooked thoroughly (until both yolk and white are solid), or are used in dishes where they will be fully cooked such as a cake, they can be eaten a day or two after their ‘best before’ date. Every year, in households across the UK, we throw away 7.2 million tonnes of food and drink, most of which could be consumed.  At the Pantry we encourage members to think carefully before throwing away food past its ‘best before’ date.

Items are purchased using membership subscriptions from national distribution charities such as ‘Fareshare’. This is usually food which is in date and good to eat but has become surplus, for simple reasons such as over-production, labelling errors or short shelf-life.

There are regular collections of short, end of life and damaged produce from food retail outlets across Southport.  These are delivered to the Pantry on a weekly basis. Donated items are also collected regularly through community outlets and churches.  Many items on offer at the Pantry are received through the generous food donations from members of the public.

During certain times of the year, some of the fresh food on offer may have also been received through local food growing projects.