ALDI CIRENCESTER

Cirencester Pantry Love Food but Hate Waste. We are living through a climate emergency that is threatening all our lives. Greenhouse emissions are a major cause of damage to our planet. Food waste alone contributes 6-7% of the overall UK gas emissions. Sometimes we can be overwhelmed by global problems and wonder if an individual’s efforts can help improve things. Park Community Group with the support of Cllr Claire Bloomer believe we can have an impact starting locally and joining with others to try to reduce our food waste. Most of the waste in the food industry is in the supply chain and not from stores or from what we leave on our plates. Producers of foods supplied to the major supermarkets such as Waitrose, Tesco, M&S, Lidl, Sainsburys, Morrisons etc, are often left with perfectly good surplus food that is headed to be thrown away. Cirencester Pantry will be directly reducing waste by making this surplus food available to residents providing them with quality food which would otherwise be going to landfill. The Cirencester Pantry will be opening its doors on Friday 3rd March at Watermoor Hall from 4pm-7pm. We want all our residents to have the opportunity to become members of the scheme which cost £14 per month for a single person or £22 per month for a family. For the monthly payment, members will then be able to attend the Pantry. Members can select from a range of chilled fresh meat/chicken, fresh fruit and vegetables, pasta, rice and other tinned goods. Each week what is available varies but each member’s basket will be worth at least £14 /£22 a week. The Cirencester Food Pantry is more than just a place to pick up good quality food and help save waste. We encourage active member participation to build a strong organization that delivers to members what they want – quality food, at great prices while helping reduce waste. But also join other members to help build healthy communities through sharing food knowledge, recipes, and activities promoting care for the environment and our neighbours. Have a coffee with us; chat with other members; introduce yourself after all you have something in common – you are a member of Cirencester Pantry who loves food but hates waste! We are part of the food network in Cirencester and the Cotswolds. • We work with the local Food Bank by taking some of their over stock of pasta/rice which they are having to pay to store. • We will hold some priority memberships at a minimal weekly fee for those who are moving on from the Food Bank’s free food parcels but are still in a position of food vulnerability. • At the end of our Friday pantry session all the leftover food will be donated to the Food Bank as well as to Signpost who support local resident by cooking tasty meals.

Swindon Food Collective is Swindon’s only food bank. We support our local community by providing food parcels to individuals, couples and families, designed to last 3–5 days. Our parcels are made up of food donated by members of the public, corporate partners and through financial contributions. From Swindon, for Swindon. In 2025, we supplied over 90,000 meals to people in genuine need. 31% of which are children. Food parcels are distributed through 12 distribution centres across Swindon and the surrounding areas. Parcels are provided on a referral basis. Service users can now receive up to six referrals within a six-month period. However, for those in genuine need, we will always do our best to ensure that nobody is turned away We are an independent charity that aims to help people in Swindon, and the surrounding area who are suffering from financial hardship and finding it difficult to provide food for themselves, their family or dependants. We are here to help.

The Community Fridge is located at back of the Town Council offices and is project driven by the collective efforts of local residents, volunteers and businesses with the aim of reducing food waste and empowering communities. The Community Fridge operates on the principle of 'take what you need, leave what you can'. The vision is NO edible food goes to waste. Local businesses (such as bakeries and supermarkets) and residents donate surplus food that would otherwise go to waste. Once the food is placed in the fridge, it is available to anyone to take and free of charge. By upholding the highest food hygiene standards and having a strict policy on low-risk food items, we can provide assurances to both the businesses donating, and visitors of the fridge sharing food. We would love to work and create local connections with food growers, manufacturers and retailers who, by sharing quality excess food, not only reduce wasted food and disposal costs, but directly support their local community.