M&S Hertford

The Hertford Pantry has been set up to provide fresh and ambient food to local residents. The fresh food will be donated by local supermarkets and will be given to anyone who wants it. This help people struggling to make ends meet and prevents food waste. The second stream of ambient food will be bought with money from grants and fund raising. This food will be provided to people who declare they need it. There is no formal criteria. We will also provide food and recipes bagged ready for families who are in urgent need. The pantry will open Monday 1-2pm, Wednesday 1.30-2.30pm and Saturday 11-12 noon. The Saturday session is to enable those who are working to access the food.

At Jedidiah, we believe nobody should have to choose between dignity and dinner. We are a community pantry with a big heart and an even bigger sense of welcome. We're more than a place to fill a shopping bag. We're a place to be seen. Our shelves are stocked with good, nourishing food, and our doors are open to anyone who needs them: no judgement, no awkward questions, just a friendly face and a fuller basket on the way out. We're powered by volunteers and held together by one simple belief: a strong community looks after its own. Food is about more than what's on the plate, it's comfort, connection, and the quiet reassurance that someone's got your back.

Our aim is to offer ongoing support through emergency food parcels, basic hygiene essentials and a range of mental and wellbeing support to families, vulnerable adults, schools and the general community struggling to stay afloat. As a grassroots community project we are primarily staffed by local volunteers of diverse groups across the town which makes our services completely free and open to anyone who needs this the extra help. We empower residents to offer their time as volunteers who come together to simply inspire, invigorate and entice others out of their homes to join in various activities, share a coffee through our forums, make new connections and take their minds off worrying - whether young or old, shy or socially awkward, new to the area, retired, divorced, feel restricted, lonely or isolated - our services pride in making our wider user network feel part of the wider community. Since July 2017, we have been able to support over 5k families and delivered well over 12k food parcels both within and beyond Harlow