Hygiene Products - Community Pantry
2
The Pitch
Problem statement
Given the persistent cost of living crisis, our Community Pantry has been a critical program to provide our local community (households, families) access to affordable and quality food together with first necessity items. The purpose of the pantry is to prevent our community to fall into food privation and hygiene poverty. Therefore, the outcomes of the program include wellbeing and mental health. Our pantry is facing a surge in demand for hygiene products (nappies, feminine hygiene, soaps, deodorants, shampoos, children's toothbrushes). The rising cost of these items together with the unabated demand are affecting the program's delivery capacity of hygiene products.
Solution
Whilst the Consumer Price Index has increased by 8.7% between April 2023 and April 2022, the demand for the pantry hygiene products has increased by 158% in 2023 to GBP 2,939 (8-month period) compared to 2022 (ex GBP 1,138; 12-month period). We anticipate the demand to remain strong, given the high cost of living that is progressively pricing out the community from traditional supermarkets. From April 2022 to March 2023, we supplied 1,719 households (5,329 beneficiaries, including 2,077 children). This represents a 37% increase of households from 2021. A GBP 3k grant dedicated to the purchase of hygiene products will ensure that the pantry is adequately stocked to meet demand.
Why are we best placed to deliver?
We have been successfully running the Community Pantry since April 2021, meeting the increasing demand from our community. The program is tailored-made to our community; we regularly run surveys and use the feedback to adapt our service. The pantry is strategically located in the heart of Westminster, within our café premises, which represents a safe, warm and welcoming place to our beneficiaries. We have a dedicated team of staff and volunteers to supervise the goods delivery and serve the beneficiaries the days of shopping. The project is part of our holistic community service system & acts as a gateway for beneficiaries to the other programs we run (legal advices, after school club).
Focus Areas
Delivery plan
Budget breakdown
| Purchase of hygiene products: feminine hygiene, baby nappies & wipes, soaps, shower gel, deodorants, shampoos, toothbrushes, incontinence packs for adults, toilet papers, shaving gel | £3,000 |
Beneficiaries
4,800 people
Who will benefit
Expected impact
The GBP 3k grant will support our initiative by strengthening our capacity in sourcing hygiene products for the community. Access to ordinary hygiene products is a matter of public health and dignity. It is a vital component of wellbeing and mental health. We purchase hygiene products from In Kind Direct at a high discount compared to retail price (80% cheaper). Therefore, GBP 3k grant will translate in nearly GBP 15k worth of hygiene items. The grant will enable us to stock enough products to satisfy the demand until March 2024. For instance, GBP 3k would enable us to purchase a pallet of over: 800 PerioGard toothpastes, 400 Radox shower gel, 1,600 Dove shampoo bars, 1,200 Andrex toilet rolls, 1,500 Lynx & Dove deodorants, and 13,000 Boots & Tesco period pads. As of October 2023, and based on the actual trend of the project, we anticipate serving over 1,600 households to March 2024, which represent 4,800 beneficiaries (including approximately 1,800 children).
Track record
The program outreach has been increasing since its launch in 2021. From April 2021 to March 2022, we served 1,085 households. From April 2022 to March 2023, number of households increased to 1,719 (+37%). For the 8-month period to August 23, we served 882 households, a 47% increase compared to the 8-month figure of 2022. Since we started recording children data in Q4 2021, our initiative has served 3,300 children. The program is funded by grants and a modest contribution fee of GBP 4.5 paid by beneficiaries for each shopping. Each shopping basket amounts to GBP 40. Whilst most of the food is donated by The Felix Project and City Harvest, we purchase, via the grants, contributions or core cash, supplemental food and hygiene products. Beneficiaries' feedback: good value for money, good staff & volunteers support, opportunity to break routine and meet people, good variety of food, good for mental health and getting into other social services (English, art, employment).