Six new food pantries are being launched by Tower Hamlets Council to tackle poverty and support residents through the cost of living crisis.

In partnership with national charity Family Action, the FOOD Store project aims to provide affordable quality food.

Tower Hamlets has some of the highest levels of deprivation, child poverty and pensioner poverty in the country with 56 per cent of children living in a low-income family prior to the pandemic (after housing costs) and 44 per cent of older people living in low-income households.

To meet this rising need the council has earmarked just under £100,000 to roll out a network of “FOOD Store” pantries in the borough. The FOOD Store allows service users to access a significant amount of nutritious food for a weekly £3.50 fee – including fresh fruit and vegetables, quality ready meals and store cupboard staples.

Over the course of a membership, which typically lasts for six months, service users will also be helped to access the support they need to tackle their financial hardship including help with debt, welfare access, housing, employment and other areas.

Deputy Mayor of Tower Hamlets, Cllr Maium Talukdar went down to the Blackwall Reach community hub in Poplar to officially launch FOOD Store: Blackwall yesterday (27 September).

He was also joined by Cllr Gulam Kibria Choudhury, cabinet member for Health, Wellbeing and Social Care.

Cllr Talukdar said:

“We have already introduced several support packages worth more than £5million to help our most vulnerable residents including an Energy Fund.

Our next step is to open FOOD Stores and support existing food banks to make sure no-one goes hungry.”

Cllr Saied Ahmed, cabinet member for Resources and the Cost of Living added:

“A unique feature of the FOOD Store is that people will not only be able to access food onsite, but they will have access to professionals to provide support on underlying root cause issues such as debt management, benefits issues and employment.

“The pantries will also work with food distribution charities like the Felix Project to make sure families receive quality fresh fruit and vegetables while helping the planet by cutting down on waste.”

Working with charity Family Action, the partnership will allow three pantries launched by the organisation last year to remain open, while a further three will be introduced this year.

They join the programme’s pilot site, operated by charity Burdett FC in Mile End, to form a network of seven FOOD Stores with access spread across the borough in areas of need.

David Holmes, CEO of Family Action said:

“Family Action is delighted to be working with the Tackling Poverty team in Tower Hamlets to deliver new Food Stores, ensuring more people across the borough have access to good quality food at a low cost. We have seen in our many other food services how reducing this pressure can also really help people to have the confidence or ‘head space’ to access other support they may need.”