Samworth Brothers and Company Shop to set up pop-up pantries during half-term

In order to ensure children eligible for free school meals are still provided with food during the February half-term break, Leicester City Council has teamed up with food manufacturer Samworth Brothers and surplus retailer Company Shop.

Families who have registered for the scheme will be able to collect their food from six pop-up community pantries that will be set up at sites across Leicester. Families will be able to select a food hamper and additional items from the community pantry up to a value of around £25.

Last year, the UK Government reported that under 1.9 million pupils in the UK are eligible for free school meals.

Karen Holdsworth, Samworth Brothers Group Community Coordinator, said: “It is always a challenge to make sure we can get the huge amount of food required for these events but, working alongside Company Shop, it is a challenge we relish and were able to rise to again.

“Within our business, we have some amazing people who have pulled together to make these six pop-up pantries happen. Without a great team of people, events such as this would not be possible. We are very passionate about our responsibility to support local communities and we were very proud once again to work with the council on this fantastic initiative.”

Owen McLellan, Group Managing Director, Company Shop Group, said: “We saw a significant increase in the number of people and families accessing Community Shop’s services last year, and with more families than ever having to make a choice between a warm home and a warm meal, these pop-up pantries are extremely important.”