St Peter & St Paul Rustington- Pantry

Pantry News February 2026:

Pantry:  

This week’s Pantry session was buzzing, with 74 households collecting food. We’re so grateful to our wonderful volunteers, whose kindness and care make such a difference in welcoming and supporting everyone who comes through our doors.  The church was open for tea, coffee, and cake, offering a warm space for conversation and connection. Many of our visitors value the chance to find friendship and a safe place to belong, and we are blessed to be able to provide that.  At the same time, we ran our Money Coaching Course for Pantry users. We’ve offered this course before, and the feedback has always been incredibly positive. It’s a brilliant way to help people take control of their finances, rather than feeling controlled by them. We’re pleased to share that the course will run again in the Spring. If you’re able to donate, we are currently short of: cereals, toilet rolls, tinned ravioli, tinned potatoes, and tuna.  Thank you for your generosity. 

The Pantry Team

St. Peter and St. Paul's Pantry in Rustington Church Hall has created a safe and welcoming space where people in our community who are struggling to get by can top up their weekly food supplies.  On 6th October 2021, the Pantry opened its doors to the community with tables full of dry food; and is open every Wednesday (at different times).

The Pantry is supplied with food items provided by the generosity of the Church's parishioners. We are also proud to work with some fantastic partners - the Butcher & Deli in Rustington, COOK in Rustington, the Littlehampton Community Fridge, Sainsbury's in Littlehampton and Morrisons in Littlehampton - are all playing a vital role in supporting the Pantry. During the lockdown many of these food suppliers provided good quality food to local families receiving regular food donations at their front doors. Our local food suppliers welcome the launch of the Pantry because they are driven to support local people in need and at the same time reduce waste and disposal costs.

The root of our action is clearly the compassion that our Church has for local people who are struggling to feed themselves and their families because their incomes do not stretch far enough. At the Pantry anyone can come along and access good food with dignity and choice (no questions asked). We are hoping this provision gives people the means to stay afloat in tough times.

Since the opening of the Pantry, it has been well used. This shows that there are a significant number of people in our community who are experiencing food insecurity. No doubt the lockdown hit some families very hard but our Church's provision of a Pantry is a testament that we are exercising our Christian calling to help people in need.

We also expect the Pantry to be a place where relationships are built and not just a place where physical needs are met.