Bents Garden & Home have teamed up with the Church-run Food Pantries scheme in Wigan, providing the network of outlets with surplus and short dated food from its dining destinations and Food Hall, which would otherwise go to waste. 

The Food Pantries, which have been operational since the covid pandemic, are based in a number of churches throughout Wigan and instead of handouts, offer once or twice weekly shopping baskets of 20 basic items.  An annual fee of £5 plus a payment of whatever can be afforded provides users of the Pantries with ‘ownership and self-esteem’. 

Says Matthew Bent, Managing Director at Bents Garden & Home: “We’ve been wanting to donate our surplus food for a long time, but wanted to make sure it was going to the best place so have spent a lot of time researching the different opportunities available. 

“The Food Pantries network was a great choice.  It isn’t a foodbank, but it is the perfect complement to one.  Their aim is to offer good quality food alongside support from a wider community as well as an opportunity to manage money.  We are very pleased that we can help by providing food, but their all-round offering is about so much more which is why we identified it as an initiative we wanted to support.”

Adds Tracy Mathioudakis from the Food Pantries scheme: “"For us at Toms pantry, the products the produce we collect from Bents has been amazing . People are so happy to say the least.

“For me it's the collections too that make a difference when you’re tired, had a long day yet are greeted with respect and pleasure by the wonderful staff at Bents who are so happy it's going to good causes."

Bents is always keen to support community initiatives and regularly provides donations to local schools and churches as well as sponsorship for sports teams including netball and football clubs and most recently donations of a wooden bar and blankets for the Warrington Youth Zone and plants donated to Culcheth Library.