Reduce waste, save money, support The Art House by visiting our community pantry and cafe!
The community pantry was set up during the first lockdown to intercept perfectly edible food and redistribute it to those who need it. It is funded by regular donations via Patreon and one off donations from our wonderful supporters.
We provide:
Groceries – fresh fruit & veg, tins, jars, dried foods and chilled vegan foods, all pay-as-you-feel, no need to pay if you have no money. Most of this food is diverted from becoming waste by collecting it whilst still in date.
The Bathroom Box – a donate-and-take box for toiletries and sanitary products. Donate unopened soaps, shampoo, hand creams, shower gels, tampons, pads etc and take what you need.
Cosy Clothes Rail in the winter months – warm adult outwear – coats, jumpers, hats, gloves, scarves, sleeping bags – pay what you feel.
Community Cafe – a warm and welcoming space for all to enjoy a reasonably priced vegan pastry, pasty, cake, cookie or speciality coffee or freshly made tea or cold drink and help support this project. The cafe is fully licenced. We also serve pay-as-you-feel soup and bread and have paid forward hot drinks and soup for those who can’t afford to pay.
All money made from the cafe, takeaways and donations goes into running the community pantry, covering overheads and staffing costs so that we can keep doing this.
You can also pay-it-forward and buy a drink for somebody who needs one either in person on online.
Funded by donations from our community, our Patreon supporters and The National Lottery Community Fund.
To support this project and pay forward essentials to those who need it:
Pay forward a hot drink on ‘Buy me a coffee’
Become a Patreon supporter and donate monthly to make this project sustainable
Make a one-off donation using PayPal
Transfer money by BACS to:
The Art House Southampton
Sort code 089299
Account no. 65287334, (The Co-operative Bank)
‘Pay forward’ drinks and soups or just donate what you can when you visit us!
FAQs:
Who is the pantry for?
We believe that good food is a basic right and important to building community and resilience, we also want to support you to try more vegan and veggie food and help provide healthy meals during the pandemic, whoever you are.
The pantry is open to absolutely anyone, we don’t require proof of income and you won’t be asked to fill out any forms or have to answer any questions about your circumstances. We respect the dignity of all our pantry users.
Visiting is just like dropping into a normal shop, you choose what you need and make a donation (we take cards if you don’t have cash) of the amount you wish to pay.
Using our pantry reduces waste, supports The Art House and saves you money!
When is the pantry open?
See our calendar for upcoming dates for the pantry.
Where does the food come from?
The food is donated by supermarkets and wholesalers from their surplus, or collected from supermarkets by our crew. We also accept donations of in date, non perishable foods.
Groceries are all before their ‘use by’ date and have been stored and prepared to our usual high standards so hygiene and safety is assured.
Can I donate food?
Yes, please click here for a list of what we need and can accept as donations.
Can I donate toiletries?
Yes please! You can drop unopened, in-date toiletries and sanitary products into our bathroom box whenever we are open.
Can I donate clothes?
We don’t take donations on site but do shout outs regularly to collect clean, adult outerwear or take donations here on specific dates, so that we can quarantine and sort it properly – join our Facebook group to get notifications about these. Please do not bring clothes in at other times, or leave bags outside when we are closed.
Do you need volunteers to help?
Yes please! We need volunteers during our pantry opening hours for many tasks – please contact us using the form below if you’d like to help.
