Members Newsletter | Issue 7
Welcome
Hello and welcome to Peckham Pantry’s September Newsletter!
We hope you had a fabulous summer and are ready to welcome autumn. Over July and August, we were extremely lucky to have volunteers support us while many of our ambassadors had a well-deserved break. So, a big thank you to our summer volunteers!
Don’t forget…
To support our pantry and support the value it brings to many, please consider donating to the pantry via the Bankuet QR code or link. The Pantry is able to provide affordable food shops for their members because of the kindness and generosity of volunteers and donors.
Thank you.
Temi Okudiya
Peckham Pantry Manager
Feature: Peckham Pantry delivery providers - City Harvest, Tropical Sun and Felix Project
This month we will include a feature on some of the Pantry’s main food suppliers: City Harvest, Tropical Sun and Felix Project.
The two Peckham Pantry sites handle an average of 3,500kg of food per week, supplied through six or more deliveries from City Harvest, the Felix project and Tropical Sun Foods.
Our other supplies come from the community including Glengall Wharf Gardens (a local community garden). Pecan supplements these by paying for other staples and world food to bring more varieties and inclusion of culturally appropriate food to the Pantry.
City Harvest
City Harvest is a sustainable solution tackling food waste and food poverty, rescuing food, people and our planet.
City Harvest is one of London’s biggest surplus food redistribution charities, delivering free nutritious food to 375 organisations.
As 1 in 4 people face food poverty in London, City Harvest is an organisation addressing this issue. They are a sustainable solution tackling food waste and food poverty, by rescuing good food and safely delivering it to people while taking action to protect our planet. They currently deliver approximately 10 million meals a year across London by ensuring that no good food goes to waste.
City Harvest brings a variety of quality, special and an assortment of food to the Pantry each week. They are the main collector of the popular Nando’s chicken at the Pantry. We are one of their main charities that will get a call for additional stock delivery when they have surplus at their warehouse.
Our partnership has been greatly maintained by one of their amazing drivers Gabby who you will likely mistake to be a Pantry staff.
Tropical Sun
As Peckham Pantry serves a culturally diverse community, Tropical Sun is an important supplier, ensuring it can offer a range of culturally appropriate food.
Tropical Sun is a food supplier which began in 1996 importing a few specialist ingredients and daily essentials for the UK’s thriving ethnically diverse communities. Word spread and they began receiving requests for food from across the world: spices, oils, drinks and snacks helping people feel connected to their cultures. They now supply over several hundred products from cultures across the world.
As Peckham Pantry serves a culturally diverse community, Tropical Sun is an important supplier, ensuring it can offer a range of culturally appropriate food. Tropical Sun also greatly supports the Pantry with a fixed monthly financial donation which in turn is used to purchase more food for the Pantry at Wanis.
The Felix Project
‘The generous donations given by the Felix Project each week are integral to Peckham Pantry, ensuring that it can continue to supply low-cost food shops to those who are in need.’
The Felix Project is a food redistribution charity based in London. It collects fresh, nutritious food that cannot be sold, from over 539 suppliers, including supermarkets, wholesalers, farms, restaurants, and delis. It then delivers this surplus food to not-for-profit organisations, such as charities, schools, and housing associations, so the food can reach those who need it most.
They also have a dedicated kitchen where some of the surplus food is used to create meals, which are then similarly distributed to community organisations across London. The generous donations given by the Felix Project each week are integral to Peckham Pantry, ensuring that it can continue to supply low-cost food shops to those who are in need.
Finally, we recently benefited from the King’s fridge and freezer project to secure an additional freezer at our St Luke’s centre.
Ambassadors of the Month:
Amal
Hello, I’m Amal. I have been an ambassador/volunteer for nearly 2 years. I feel privileged to be a part of the Pantry and bring relief to so many members. It has also helped me with getting back in touch with my local community. I know the Pantry has
impacted positively the area and its members. I am looking forward to continuing contributing actively for the benefit of the members and the other volunteers and members of staff. Thank you for your continuing support and contribution.
Jo
I began volunteering at the Pantry in the aftermath of the miserable Christmas lockdown in 2020. I had been volunteering at Southwark foodbank, also part of Pecan, and I got to know Temi via that, and wanted something to fill my time on Saturdays when a lot of .
things were shut, and socializing was restricted. Pantry perfectly filled this requirement for me – as someone who struggles greatly with neurodivergence and OCD, I find it beneficial. I work as an academic historian so I’m in front of screens a lot, so this gets me away from all of that. My mantra is that you should enjoy any voluntary role at least 75% of the time, because your time as a volunteer is really special. And I really enjoy what I do at Pantry – it’s a perfect mix of socialising, organising, sorting, and involves one of my favourite things – food.
I don’t get to the Pantry as much as I’d like these days because of work and other commitments, but I try to come every other Saturday if I can. We have a lovely team of volunteers and it’s a really nurturing space – for staff, ambassadors and customers. What I really love is turning up and discovering what new, bizarre and wonderful stock has come in that week, and advising customers who have particular dietary requirements on what might suit them. We also have regular customers who I’ve known for nearly three years, and it’s always lovely to see them.
The Pantry is a great service because customers pay for their shop and choose their food, which provides dignity and agency. And it’s for everyone.
Coffee Morning – October 2023
Come and join our coffee morning at Peckham Pantry at St Luke’s Church (Chandler Way, SE15 6DT) on Wednesday 18 October from 10-11am. Everyone is welcome, we’re looking forward to seeing you there!
For further information or any questions, please contact Flora on 07929 999 006.
Peckham Pantry's September Recipe: Black Bean and Aubergine Chilli
A delicious September meal. Most of the ingredients for this recipe can be found at the Pantry.
Ingredients:
- Ingredients100ml (3½fl oz) vegetable oil
- 450g (1lb) aubergines (cut into 2.5cm/1in cubes)
- 2 red onions (finely chopped)
- 4 garlic cloves (crushed)
- 10 small red chillies (chopped – de-seeded if you like)
- 2 x 400g/14¼oz cans chopped tomatoes
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- Pinch of ground cumin
- Pinch of ground cinnamon
- 1 bay leaf
- 250g (9oz) cooked black beans (drained and rinsed if tinned)
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tbsp grated dark 70% cocoa-solids chocolate
- Grated cheese and/or soured cream, to serve
Method
1. Heat the oil in a pan and fry the aubergines for about four minutes, to colour and soften. Remove and drain on kitchen paper.
2. Fry the onions and garlic in the same pan until soft, then add the chillies and cook for five minutes.
3. Add the tomatoes, coriander, cumin, cinnamon, bay leaf and aubergines and simmer for five minutes.
4. Add the beans, season well and cook for 15 minutes. Stir in the chocolate and serve with grated cheese and/or soured cream. Serve with pitta/naan or rice
BBC Food - £1 Dinners
Pantry Opening Times
49-53 Peckham Park Road, SE15 6TU
- Monday- 9am - 4pm
- Tuesday- 11am - 4pm
- Wednesday- 9am - 4pm
- Thursday- 10am - 7pm
- Friday- 9am - 4pm
- Saturday- 9am - 15pm
- Sunday- Closed
St Lukes Church, Chandler Way, SE15 6DT
- Monday- Closed
- Tuesday- Closed
- Wednesday- 11am - 2pm
- Thursday - Closed
- Friday - Closed
- Saturday - Closed
- Sunday - Closed
Vacancies
If you would like to become a Pantry Ambassador then contact us at:
email: pantry@pecan.org.uk
tel: 020 7277 7075.
website: www.pecan.org.uk/peckham-pantry
