Cost of Living
Award Winning Community Pantry launches appeal
Congratulations to the Old Sarum & Longhedge Community Pantry for winning a Salisbury Radio Local Heroes Award.
Published: 29 September 2025
The Pantry has over 300 households on their membership list. Many are hardworking families—NHS staff, teachers, social workers, and military households—who don’t meet the threshold for other support but are still struggling to make ends meet.
The Pantry’s ethos is simple ‘No one should just “survive.” Everyone deserves the dignity of living without constant fear of bills, and that’s what they’re here for’.
More Than Just Food
The Pantry has grown into much more than a place to shop affordably. It has become:
● A social lifeline: where pensioners can share a coffee and chat without worrying about the cost of cafés and parking.
● A warm space: for parents who can’t afford heating, especially when kids are at school.
● A safe place: for those struggling with loneliness, mental health, or simply needing a hot meal and a friendly ear.
● A family hub: offering children activities and meals during the holidays when days out feel out of reach.
● A resource centre: providing advice on debt, energy saving, family matters, cooking lessons, and more.
How You Can Help???
We want to keep growing, supporting more households in need, until one day our services are no longer necessary. But right now, they have launched a Just Giving campaign here:
The pantry accepts support of many kinds; financially, through donations, partnerships, or even by volunteering time and skills. The Just Giving Campaign aims to help them
You can get in touch with Gemma or Nina, the Pantry Managers directly or via email here: oslpantry@gmail.com or oldsarumandlonghedgepantry@gmail.com
To find out how the Pantry works see here : Community Pantry webpage