ALDI NEWPORT - ST GEORGES WAY (opening 19/11/2026)

Feeding Isle of Wight runs a surplus food distribution centre on the Isle of Wight. This was set up to prevent surplus food being returned to the mainland to go into landfill. The aim is to help prevent hunger in an area of high deprivation. We distribute to various food charities on the Island. We also run a food pantry in Cowes from the front of the distribution centre. We offer various wraparound care including a Digital Network Hub.

Pan Together exists to support & provide a community hub for the residents of East Newport, which includes the Island's most disadvantaged area, ranked at 5.8% in England's most deprived. In other words, 94% of places across the country are more affluent than Pan. Many local people are amongst society's most vulnerable & marginalised, including the shocking 35% of local children growing up in poverty compared to an England average of 17%. These statistics are from September 2019. The situation has undoubtedly worsened in the wake of the pandemic & the cost of living crisis which is biting so hard. Our purpose-built centre comprises: a community café providing wholesome, affordable food whilst also acting as a social hub; an IT learning suite (free Wi-fi, six computers); two community rooms; a large training kitchen; & an outside produce-growing area. We provide: vital signposting/triage support for people needing assistance/advice; help to avert social isolation; free courses in Maths/English/IT; free weekly drop-in sessions for people wanting to brush up their skills/get help with their CV/are thinking about returning to work after a break; volunteering/work experience opportunities; social activities such as bingo; & cookery sessions for children/young people/vulnerable families. Having identified the growing need in Autumn 2021, our community support & anti-poverty services are (sadly) increasingly essential. No-one should have to choose between food, fuel & children's clothes. We can't change the world but we can & do make a tangible & direct difference to people's lives. We run a community larder twice a week for local residents. Members pay £5 per weekly visit for two carrier of fresh/frozen/refrigerated/tinned/dried food & other household essentials & receive £20-£30 of goods, which they choose for themselves. No-one needs a referral. We also run a money management advice & form-filling service to maximise residents' income & access to benefits. We’re a charity & membership-based organisation where members have a say & a vote on what we do. We began as a community centre in 2007, operating for many years from a portacabin. In 2016 we relocated to a purpose-built community centre & became a charity in 2018, allowing the trustees to apply successfully for National Lottery Community Fund monies to employ a Centre Manager from mid-2019. In May 2022, the then Earl & Countess of Wessex (Prince Edward & Sophie) made an unprecedented visit to the centre to say thank you to our volunteers & staff for their lifeline support service work during pandemic. As part of the late Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations, in June 2022 Pan Together was awarded the Queen's Award for Voluntary Service - the highest award a voluntary organisation can receive in the UK & the organisational equivalent of an MBE. In December 2022 we received an Isle of Wight High Sheriff's Award in recognition of 'great & valuable services to the community'.