Posted on 04 March 2024
A new food pantry has opened on North Road Islington, thanks to a partnership between Hyde, Southern Housing and St Giles Trust
The Mayor of Islington opened the new ‘supermarket’, which will offer local residents who may be struggling financially, high quality food, along with personal face-to-face support. Cllr Gary Heather proudly cut the ribbon to open the new pantry, alongside local Councillors Claire Zammit and Diarmaid Ward.
The Islington pantry will offer a range of healthy and sustainable food. Membership costs £3.50 a week, in return for a minimum of £15 of groceries. Shoppers will also be greeted by experts, who will help them with advice and signposting on issues such as support around mental health.
The pantry is being co-funded by Hyde, thanks to funding from Hyde Charitable Trust (HCT). It will be run by St Giles Trust, and a St Giles staff member will be based on site on behalf of Southern Housing and Hyde. The pantry is located in Hillside Clubhouse, a local mental health charity that offers individual support and community activities. Food will be provided by The Felix Project, who will deliver it to the pantry on a weekly basis.
Maddassar Arif, our Partnerships and Projects Manager said: “We’ve been working with Southern Housing on this idea for a while – we’re very aware that there simply isn’t much access to affordable food in this area. The aim of the pantry is to tackle the existing level of food poverty and prevent it increasing further for people in need.
“We wanted local residents to have easy access to affordable, fresh food in a non-judgemental and dignified way – so they can enjoy choosing their own shopping and then putting a healthy meal together.
“The pantry is a great example of housing associations and local charities working in partnership to offer much needed support in the community.”
The food pantry opened on Wednesday 28 February. It can be found at Hillside Clubhouse, 30 North Road, N7 9GJ. It’s open three days a week, Tuesday to Thursday. On referral, shoppers are entitled to one visit a week.