A Lanarkshire school and nursery is doing its bit to support families during the cost of living crisis by setting up its own People's Pantry.
St Dominic's Primary and Nursery in Airdrie has teamed up with the town's new Lidl store to stock food and drink for people in need, with the supermarket donating produce on a weekly basis.
The People's Pantry is open five days a week and can be accessed by all families within the school and its wider community.
A nursery spokeswoman told Lanarkshire Live : "The cost of living crisis has significantly impacted a number of families within the school community of St Dominic’s.
"It’s a sad reality that many parents and carers are having to make their money go further and are faced with difficult financial decisions on a daily basis.
"As a school and nursery community, we wanted to be able to ease some of the financial pressures on families and, as such, set about establishing our own People’s Pantry.
"We approached staff in the new Airdrie Lidl to share our idea and ask if they would be willing to support our efforts to improve outcomes for our pupils and their families, while also providing them with an opportunity to give back to people in their community.
"Staff at Lidl were more than happy to help and our partnership was born. Since then, our pantry has gone from strength to strength with Lidl donating items on a weekly basis.
"We have also managed to secure local grants to further support our efforts."
There is no referral process for the People's Pantry and, therefore, "no stigma attached".
Feedback from parents and carers has been very positive, with Jacqueline Lamb, parent council chair, saying: “The cost of living crisis is hitting all families, including those who are working.
"Families who were coping before are struggling now and being able to just pop into the People’s Pantry without answering questions or telling the world your business takes off a little bit of the pressure.”
The nursery spokeswoman added: "This initiative would not be possible without the hard work, commitment and perseverance of our head teacher Mrs Sweeney and Mrs Johnson, our lead early learning practitioner, or without the support of our local Lidl.
"Our long-term goal is to work towards making the pantry more sustainable. With this in mind, our next step is to begin growing our own fresh produce to include in our pantry.
"Our eco committee and nursery pupils are currently working hard to develop a garden area within the school to allow this plan to come to fruition.
"We are also excited to be reintroducing our bee hives and look forward to producing our own honey."
To find out more about the People's Pantry, call the nursery on 01236 794818.
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