Peckham Pantry: More Than Just a Social Supermarket

In the bustling heart of Peckham, South London, stands a unique establishment that goes beyond the traditional supermarket model.

Peckham Pantry is a social supermarket that has redefined the way communities come together to tackle food insecurity, and food waste.

In the bustling heart of Peckham, South London, stands a unique establishment that goes beyond the traditional supermarket model.  Peckham Pantry is not just about providing food, it’s about empowering individuals to make their own decisions and supporting their sense of pride through access to high-quality, nutritious food at a small fee. 

City Harvest has delivered enough free food to Peckham Pantry for 449,000 meals since November 2020.

This is what sets them apart from traditional food banks, as Shahid Mughal, Head of Food Services at Peckham Pantry tells us. 

“We provide quality nutritious food and its at the centre of the community and i think those are the right things to be doing to help the community to come out of the poverty cycle”

Operated under the umbrella of Pecan, Peckham Pantry serves as a pivotal component of a larger network dedicated to community building.The Pantry can therefore serve as a way for the organisation to make connections with vulnerable people and introduce their members to Pecan’s wider services.

City Harvest has been supporting Peckham Pantry since 2020. The Pantry itself feeds around 600 people a week, and serves 180,000 individuals a year. The partnership exemplifies a shared commitment to combating hunger and food waste. 

In addition to its economic impact, Peckham Pantry is a cooking adventure for its members. A long-time user shares, 

“The Pantry is now part of my life, and I’ve been doing my weekly shop for around three years since I was a student. It encourages me to try food I have never seen before.”