Inside the Byker Pantry: The project helping families…

Inside the Byker Pantry: The project helping families in their time of need

A project in one of Newcastle's most deprived areas has become the heart of the community as it helps families in their time of need.

Byker Pantry was started by Ann and Mike Leddra in 2016 and allows people to exchange money for points to buy items at half the price of supermarket foods.

Based at Raby Cross, the project was launched as Universal Credit was fully rolled out at Newcastle's three Jobcentres in 2017.

Since then, the couple have helped families through the coronavirus pandemic and now the cost of living crisis.

Mike said: "When we opened it was interesting because people were a bit cynical about opening because Byker has had a lot of people come in and open with a small grant, done something for about six months and gone again.

"I think people thought we weren't going to stay but we said we had a five year lease and were committed to that and we now have another five.

"It got established quite quickly. Most people come in through word of mouth and since we've opened in early January we have 93 new families joined and I think it is 198 since the start of lockdown which is a lot.

"So it is going really well, so we are really well."

People using the pantry at Raby Cross can exchange money for points and buy items (Newcastle Chronicle)

The pantry works closely with the Byker Community Trust and Karbon Homes, which provided funding for the pantry to undergo a renovation earlier this year.

Mike said: "We wanted it so people would come in and have a chat. People don't have to shop, they can come in and chat.

"One of the reasons for having this bigger room is that people can come in and use it. We have laptops so people can do job searches and homework clubs. We have got a freezer and our first lot of frozen food is coming in so we are expanding that."

The pantry has proved so successful that a number of pop-up pantries have also opened across the city.

Mike said: "We now have pop up pantries. Over lockdown the council was in charge of sorting out food poverty and food supplies and they reached out.

"Lots of the food banks closed down because their volunteers were over 70 so when you need them the food banks were closing.

"Because of the success of the pantry the council has put money into it, and the two universities have put money into it due to food poverty of students, and we have got four pop up pantries running at the moment. Benwell, Shieldfield, Fenham and Wallsend.

"What happens is we have a big store in Gosforth and take things from there and then come back.

"This is the prototype for it, it works on the same system."

The project is currently open on a Tuesday between 9.30am and noon, and 1pm until 4pm, and on a Thursday from 2pm to 6pm.

Mike added: "We love it. It is just such good fun. It is fun to see people come in and in a fairly short time see people become bubbly and confident.

"It is incredible. We had a long discussion with the Parliamentary Committee looking at food poverty and they were really impressed.

"It is different, people are paying for it but it is teaching budgeting.

"We had a lad who came in last week who had a flat with nothing in it and we put out a message saying we need X,Y and Z and it all came in.

"We have a little office that is full of stuff. We have a mum who is expecting a baby in three weeks and we are collecting stuff for her.

"It is the generosity of other people."

Over the years Mike said they have heard some heartbreaking stories as people struggle to survive.

He said: "I sometimes hear these stories and wonder how you keep going.

"How did you survive through all of this? Then it is lovely to be able to help.

"One person whose self confidence was low and she started volunteering with us, she came in and said she was now ready to apply for jobs.

"She said she wouldn't have been able to do it if it was for you and the pantry encouraging me. You think 'wow, that's really sweet'."

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