(Photo: Your Local Pantry)
Community pantries across the UK have recorded their one millionth visit, as new research suggests the membership-based food model is helping thousands of households reduce food insecurity, cut costs and prevent them from falling into extreme hardship.
The milestone was reached by the Your Local Pantry network, a Christian charity operating neighbourhood food clubs allowing members to obtain groceries for a small weekly fee as well as encouraging social interaction and community involvement.
The organisation marked the occasion with a community breakfast gathering in Birmingham, the city with the highest concentration of pantries in the country.
New findings from a survey released alongside the announcement examine the wider social and economic impact of pantry membership.
The survey was conducted over the second and fourth quarters of 2025 by Your Local Pantry in partnership with organisations operating similar schemes, gathering responses from more than 14,000 users of membership-based food clubs.
The findings indicate that pantries are playing a growing role in reducing reliance on food banks and helping people maintain regular access to nutritious food.
According to the research, many members report improved financial resilience and lower levels of stress related to food access.
Analysis of pantry usage shows that members now save an average of £27 per visit compared with standard food prices.
Over the past year, this equated to a combined saving of £6.9 million for households using the service nationwide.
Among respondents who had previously used food banks, 71% said they had decreased or ceased utilising them altogether after joining a pantry.
Seven in 10 people who used to previously skip meals reported a reduction in how often this occurred.
One member described how access to a pantry had allowed them to eat regular meals without sacrificing their own food intake for their children, something they said had previously been unavoidable.
Beyond financial benefits, respondents reported improvements in wellbeing and social connection.
More than four in five (82%) said they experienced increased community ties, while nearly all (97%) said they were better placed to pay for nutritious meals.
Three-quarters reported an increase in fresh fruit and vegetables consumption, and 83% said they felt less anxious about food insecurity.
The findings form part of a wider analysis organised by Feeding Britain, which said that “food clubs represent one of the most promising place-based approaches to tackling hunger in the UK.”
The report argues that such initiatives should play a central role in a broader, multi-layered, sustainable strategy to address food insecurity.
Network coordinator for Your Local Pantry James Henderson said the milestone reflected both “the kindness and goodness of all the volunteers, members and supporters across the UK” and “the effectiveness of the approach.”
However, he also stressed that community food projects should not be seen as a replacement for wider economic reform.
“But while we press for national change, membership food projects are incredibly transformative,” he added. “Councils, faith groups or anyone else looking to make a difference would struggle to find a better way to support communities.”
Partners involved in the scheme, including Co-op, highlighted the role of pantries in fostering cooperation and shared ownership at a local level, while Marie Gilluley, Chair of the Skylight Board in Stockport— where the first pantries were launched in 2013 — described the growth of the network as a significant achievement rooted in long-term local engagement.
