The image of a food bank has, for most people, been a fixed one: a church hall, a queue, a referral slip from a GP or a council worker, and bags of tins going home with families who are, by any measure, in crisis. That model has done essential work for more than a decade. But it is quietly being joined, and in some places replaced, by something rather different. Across dozens of UK towns, community pantries and pay-as-you-feel larders have been opening their doors, and the distinction matters more than many people realise.
I’ve spoken to volunteers running both types of service in recent months, and what strikes me most is how differently the two models feel to the people who use them. One is a safety net. The other is trying to be something closer to a neighbourhood institution.
What a traditional food bank actually does
The Trussell Trust, which runs the largest network of food banks in the UK, reported over 3.1 million food parcels distributed in 2024-25, a figure that has risen sharply year on year. The model is referral-based: you can’t simply walk in. You need a voucher, issued by a professional such as a GP, health visitor, school or social worker, confirming you’re in crisis. You then collect a standard parcel, usually three days’ worth of food, which the bank assembles from donated stock.
That system exists for good reasons. It targets the most acute need and ensures resources aren’t exhausted by those who could manage without. But it also carries a weight. Many people describe delaying seeking help because of the stigma attached to accepting a food parcel, or because they don’t have a relationship with the kind of professional who issues vouchers. The referral model, however well-intentioned, is a gatekept system.
How community pantries and pay-as-you-feel larders work differently
A community pantry operates on a membership model. For a small weekly or monthly subscription, typically somewhere between £2.50 and £5, members can visit and choose items from a stocked larder, usually worth considerably more than they’ve paid. Many pantries supplement donated food with surplus stock sourced from supermarkets, wholesalers or food redistribution charities such as Fareshare. The choice element is significant. You pick what your family will actually eat, rather than unpacking a pre-packed parcel at home and finding you’ve been given six tins of mushy peas you have no use for.
Pay-as-you-feel larders go a step further in removing price barriers entirely. Items are priced at whatever the visitor feels they can contribute. Some pay more than the nominal cost; some pay nothing. The model relies on enough goodwill in the room to keep things sustainable. Several of these larders, like Shrewsbury’s Real Food Store larder project and various schemes running through community centres in Leeds and Bristol, have found the system works because it removes the transaction of charity altogether. You’re not receiving a donation. You’re shopping.
That distinction, shopping rather than receiving, turns out to be psychologically significant. Research by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation has consistently found that the indignity of seeking help is one of the biggest barriers to people accessing food support at all. A pantry membership feels like a practical community resource, not an admission of failure.
Who can use a community pantry?
This is where the models diverge most sharply from traditional food banks. Most community pantries in the UK do not require a referral. Some run means-tested membership, offering reduced or free subscriptions to those on Universal Credit or other benefits. Others operate with no eligibility criteria at all, open to any local resident who wants to join. The thinking behind this is deliberate: when a service is open to everyone, the stigma dissolves. A retired teacher on a modest pension and a family on benefits can both hold a membership, and neither needs to explain themselves.
It’s worth noting that community pantries are not trying to compete with food banks or suggest the crisis model is unnecessary. They sit alongside it. Someone in acute crisis on a Wednesday afternoon still needs an emergency food bank parcel, not a pantry membership form. The two models address different points on the same spectrum of food insecurity.
The relationship between food insecurity and wider community health is something GPs and social prescribers are increasingly aware of. If you’re interested in how local health services are connecting patients with practical community resources, our piece on social prescribing and how GPs are referring patients to community activities covers that growing area in detail.
How to volunteer or donate at your local pantry
If you want to get involved, the practical routes depend on the type of organisation. For community pantries, the most common need is volunteer time on collection days, help sorting donations, and people who can assist with logistics like van driving for food redistribution pickups. Many pantries are run by one or two paid staff, with the rest of the operation entirely voluntary.
Donations of non-perishable food are always welcome, but the more useful contribution at many pantries is money. Cash lets the organisers fill gaps in stock with precision, buying the fresh produce and own-brand staples that donations rarely include. Some pantries also have agreements with local supermarkets for end-of-day surplus, and a volunteer willing to collect that produce at 7pm on a Tuesday is often worth more than a carrier bag of tinned goods.
To find a pantry or community larder near you, the Pantry Network run by Fareshare lists registered schemes across England and Wales. Your local council’s community team, or the Citizens Advice bureau in your area, will often know of schemes that aren’t formally listed anywhere. It’s also worth asking in local Facebook groups or through your GP surgery, which may already be signposting patients to these resources, particularly where that surgery is part of a social prescribing scheme.
What the shift tells us about how communities are coping
The growth of community pantries isn’t just a story about food. It’s a story about how towns are quietly reorganising mutual support when statutory services are stretched. The same impulse that drives a community pantry also drives asset transfer campaigns, where residents take over local buildings before they’re lost, and neighbourhood watch schemes. There’s a thread connecting all of it.
I’d also argue the pantry model is doing something the referral-based food bank never quite managed: it’s making food support feel like something a whole community participates in, not something that happens to the unlucky. That’s not a criticism of food banks, which remain critical for many families. It’s an observation about what becomes possible when the design of a service includes dignity as a requirement, not an afterthought.
For those interested in how similar pressures are reshaping other local services, our report on what communities lose when a post office closes looks at a parallel story of infrastructure quietly disappearing from neighbourhoods that can least afford it. And if you’re following the broader picture of what’s left for people in your area, the piece on what happens when a local care home closes examines how councils handle another pressure point when funding runs dry.
The community pantry movement isn’t a solution to food poverty. But it is a more honest and human way of responding to it than most of us expected to see on our local high streets.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a community pantry and how is it different from a food bank?
A community pantry is a membership-based scheme where residents pay a small weekly or monthly fee, typically £2.50 to £5, and choose food items from a stocked larder worth considerably more than they’ve paid. A food bank, by contrast, requires a referral from a professional and provides pre-packed emergency parcels to people in acute crisis.
Do you need a referral to use a community pantry in the UK?
Most community pantries in the UK do not require a referral. Some offer reduced or free memberships to people on Universal Credit or other benefits, but many are open to all local residents regardless of income. This is a deliberate design choice to reduce the stigma associated with accessing food support.
How do pay-as-you-feel larders work?
Pay-as-you-feel larders allow visitors to take food items and contribute whatever they feel able to pay, including nothing at all. The model relies on a mix of community goodwill and donated or surplus food to remain sustainable. Several are now running successfully in towns including Shrewsbury, Leeds and Bristol.
How can I volunteer at a community pantry near me?
Contact your local pantry directly or search the Fareshare Pantry Network, which lists registered schemes across England and Wales. Common volunteering roles include sorting donations, helping on collection days, and driving for food redistribution pickups. Many pantries are almost entirely volunteer-run.
Is donating money or food more useful to a community pantry?
Cash donations are often more useful than food, because they allow pantry organisers to fill specific gaps in stock, particularly fresh produce and staples that donations rarely cover. That said, non-perishable food and volunteering time to collect surplus stock from local supermarkets are also valuable contributions.
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