St Mary’s Kingsclere committed to delivering food to about 15 families each week during the national lockdown and this has since developed into the Community Larder. What started as a temporary idea at the beginning of lockdown in March 2020 has grown into a valuable service to many in the local community. The Community Larder is now open each week and serves approximately 30 local families in need.
“We are finding that as costs of energy and food increase, so the need for help increases too. Our aim is to help those struggling to make ends meet with basic food and hygiene items, as well as distributing supermarket discontinued or “short dated” fresh bread, fruit and vegetables that would otherwise be thrown away. The church family and wider village have been extremely generous with their donations and we now have about 30 people on our list of volunteers who take on different tasks – from sorting incoming donations and stocking the shelves, to serving customers, making tea & coffee and clearing away at the end,” said Janet Larkin, larder volunteer.
The organisers have also thought creatively about how people can make food donations, appreciating that it isn’t always easy for people to drop things off: their Amazon wish list enables people to buy items that we need which are then delivered straight to us. Many people are also contributing generously financially to the Community Larder.
Anyone and everyone is free to use the larder which is on every Thursday in the Kingsmill Room, starting at 2.30pm. The larder is not means-tested. There are no vouchers and no questions will be asked – it is simply open to all who feel that they need help with basic food items to be able to feed themselves and their families.
How can I help?
All donations can be dropped off Thursday mornings or during the Saturday coffee morning 10am-12pm. A weekly list of our most needed items is available, but the Larder always welcome any items of tinned/dried or packet food and hygiene and laundry products.
More volunteers are always needed. There are two shifts 11am-12.30pm and then 2.15-4.15pm, but 8 people are needed to make everything run smoothly. For more information about how you can help, please call the church office on 01635 299528 or email administrator@stmaryskingsclere.co.uk, or just come along on a Thursday to the Kingsmill Room, on the side of St Mary’s Church.
