Your Local Pantry - Social Impact report 2024
‘Places of Hope’ 2024 is the latest Social Impact report prepared about the work of the national Your Local Pantry network. The Lighthouse Pantry is part of this network, so our work is also a part of the stories and impact being shared.
There are now Your Local Pantries in 121 communities across the UK. In the last year alone, these Pantries have collectively saved members £5.76 million on shopping, alongside many other non-financial benefits.
Members report improved physical and mental health, new friendships, a renewed sense of community connection and more. That word "community" came up again and again in conversations with Pantry Coordinators. One describers the Pantry as 'the heart of the community'.
In the report you’ll learn of communities forming within Pantries, and of the role Pantries play in their wider neighbourhood communities.
We know food is a great foundation for hope and progress. Pantries are gathering places that bring people together around food, and when that happens it unlocks everyone’s collective potential. New opportunities open up. Our horizons widen. Community-led change becomes more tangible.
Many people are dealing with difficult social issues, but coming together and doing life together, sharing food, skills, ideas and company, is always a good thing. That’s what Pantries do, and that’s a big part of what makes them true Places Of Hope.
The Your Local Pantry is made up of a variety of different organisations who use their Pantry as part of building community, strengthening community relationships and by being a hub for local people.
