Mobile pantries with no sponsor face closure threat

The community pantries have been run for the past two years

Two mobile food pantries in Leicestershire could be forced to close after operating for two years.

The mobile food pantries, run by the charity Feed the Hungry UK, currently operate in Hinckley and Earl Shilton, but need to secure new funding by the end of March to avoid closure.

Gas company Cadent had been the most recent sponsors, but its deal came to an end in October.

One service user said the pantry had been "a lifesaver" in helping her feed herself and two teenage sons.

The mobile pantries provide food and other services in the community

Ruthie, from Hinckley, said she had been left with "very little income" after a recent divorce and was introduced to the pantry by a mental health worker.

She said: "I'm on limited funds because of health issues so I can't work full-time, which obviously leaves income quite short.

"And he [the mental health worker] told me about the pantry and said, 'you know, this might help relieve a little bit of the stress from trying to buy food', and I've got two teenage boys so of course they eat you out of your house and home.

"It's nice knowing you can come here and you're not judged and it doesn't matter what your background is."

Gwyn Williams says the pantries have had "a massive impact"

Gwyn Williams, executive director of Feed the Hungry UK, said the situation was "a matter of do or die".

"If there's no money with them we cannot run it," he added.

"We have contingency plans in terms of providing food locally here but not the services that go with it and it's those services that makes the difference."

A spokesperson for Cadent said: "We were really pleased to be able to work with Feed the Hungry UK and support community pantries throughout the country, including those in Leicestershire.

"We hope that our support helped a number of people, and we are now working with a number of other charities across the region to ensure that we are able to maximise the support we are able to provide."