Times are difficult.
The consequence of Covid and the economic downturn have impacted many people.
Food poverty is now affecting many millions of households and that includes households in our community.
Whilst we do not know how many people might be facing food poverty locally, we believe there is a gap in this provision for some individuals and families to gain access to local supplies of emergency food help. Access to food bank or charity supplies requires a trip to Chester or further afield.
How we support each other now can be the basis of a stronger community to manage the problems we will need to face in the future.
As part of our work to strengthen the wider village community we have partnered with Morton’s Spar, Saint Alban’s Church, The Park School, the Flacca Sports Club, the Allotment Association and Burwardsley Post Office and have established access for those in need, to emergency food supplies in the form of a Free Pantry located in the village.
A small team of volunteers keep the pantry stocked with non-perishable goods including canned goods, pasta, cereal and hygiene products, as well as fresh products such as milk, cheese, eggs and bread. We are able to do this due to kind monetary and item donations. We have donation boxes at the entrance of St Albans Church, the Spar (if not outside, it will be behind the counter) and Burwardsley Post Office which are regularly checked and emptied, and items added to the Pantry as needed.
During the summer months we also benefit from donations of fresh, locally grown fruit and vegetables from the village allotments, the School Garden Project and the village Orchard, as well as produce from individuals gardens.
The local community has been extremely generous and supportive, and we have benefited from individual regular and one-off cash donations, a cash donation from the Tattenhall Singers following their recent concert, support from the school and items from the Harvest Festival collection. In addition, we received a very generous, large donation from a local couple so we were able to purchase a new fridge/freezer when the freezer stopped working.
Whilst direct donation of items is welcome we have to have a method of receiving them rather than putting items directly into the pantry to ensure that the safe and hygienic care of the Pantry meets the necessary Food Safety requirements. If you would like to donate non-perishable foodstuff, we would ask you to use the donation boxes listed above.
If you know of anyone needing this support please let them know that the FREE PANTRY is located in the yard behind the Flacca Sports Club and is accessible 24/7 and all year round.
If you wish to make a regular or one-off cash donation to the Pantry fund, if you have any views, ideas or suggestions, or if you have time and interest in helping maintain the Pantry, please contact us via transition.tattenhall@gmail.com or 07738 433931