Why do we need your help?

We currently have 250 members that represent over 650 individuals and a waiting list that grows each day. We need your support to get food on our shelves and keep them stocked for those in our community who need pur support.

What do we do?

With our ambition to provide hope, dignity and choice whilst addressing the important issue of food poverty in Mid Sussex, Burgess Hill Pantry provides a distinct solution which is different and complementary to our community food banks. We aim to maximise the use of surplus food from supermarkets, mitigating the impact this has on the environment and also enabling us to support vulnerable members of the community.

What do we offer members?

The Pantry offers membership to anyone who is struggling to put food on the table for themselves and their family. The experience for these members is as close to normal shopping as possible. Our shelves, fridges and freezers are stocked with a broad range of items, from fruit, vegetables and bread, to cupboard staples like baked beans and lentils to laundry detergent and toothpaste. Members are able to visit weekly and for £5 they can choose what they need from the shelves. We have calculated that an average shop is worth over £26.

How do we do it?

We stock the Pantry using a variety of methods. Some of our stock is bought from supermarkets using money donated by individuals, local businesses and organisations and grants to shop at supermarkets and wholesalers.

We pay for deliveries from Fareshare Sussex who collect and redistribute surplus from food retailers and manufacturers.

We also have a team of dedicated volunteers who collect food that would otherwise go to waste from local supermarkets each day, helping us to feed those in need and also reducing food waste!

We have one paid part time manager and a team of over 40 volunteers who make the Pantry the amazing place it is today.

How are we responding to increasing demand?

In the last year we have increased our membership by 30%

The average number of visits to the Pantry per month has increased from 198 in 2021-2022 to 408 in 2023-2024

To accommodate the rising number of visits and to maximise our use of surplus food from supermarkets we have extended our sessions from 2 days to 5 days a week.

Environmental Impact

Through our partnership with Fareshare we have ;

Collected 18317 kg of food

Which is the equivalent of 43559 meals

Saving 56962 kg of CO2

What do we want to do next?

We want to do more, we always have a waiting list and we would like to offer additional support in the form of social activities, workshops and courses for our membership. These activities will address the issue of social isolation with coffee mornings, craft sessions and book groups. We also want to offer help to get our members to a better place, advice on debt management, cooking nutritious food, employability skills, educational sessions, energy saving and more.

Can you help?

We need your help. There is a funding crisis, many charities are struggling to find the funding to continue to provide their services. Please help us help your community! We can guarantee that whatever you are able to donate WILL MAKE A DIFFERENCE