With millions of people in the UK struggling with food poverty, this food hub in New Wortley is looking to make a positive change.
This is a brand new Leeds opening with a difference. The Pantry flung open their doors just a few weeks ago, offering a healthy and sustainable approach to food shopping for people struggling in the area. To find out more, we caught up with Sarah Malone, the lead for the New Wortley Pantry.
The Pantry is a new initiative. It’s a response to the rising cost of living and the ongoing hardships that more and more people in the community are finding themselves facing.
“We’ve realised that everyone’s struggling at the moment, so we’ve tried to come up with a solution to help people still be able to do the shopping,” said Sarah. “A lot of people are quite embarrassed to come to a food bank so this is an alternative where they can still come and do their shop, but they’re paying towards the cost of it.”
The way The Pantry works is simple: you pay a weekly subscription of £6, which entitles you to 15 points. On your allocated day, you can head over to The Pantry and spend your points on whatever you fancy. There’s a range of fresh, frozen and canned goods, with the items being priced at one, two or three points – and some being available for free.
© Copyright Leeds-List 2025
The food is sourced in a number of ways. They get support from organisations tackling food waste, such as FareShare, as well as donations from supermarkets like Morrisons. They also source a lot of their own food thanks to their household support fund. All this adds up to a well-stocked food hub with no shortage of affordable and nutritious options.
Their aim is to help everybody they can. The only requirement is that you have to live within their boundary of New Wortley and Lower Wortley. Apart from that, there’s no strict criteria. Whether you’re on benefits or working to support a family, The Pantry is open to people from all different backgrounds and situations.
In addition to The Pantry, the intiative also offers various other support services on a weekly basis, from benefits to housing advisors. And if you’re not within their boundary, you can still get in touch with The Pantry and they’ll signpost you to other organisations within the community centre. There are also other Pantries that have been set up in the Leeds and Bradford area, including one in the LE12 postcode.
© Copyright Leeds-List 2025
“This is a brand new project,” said Sarah, “and we’re really excited to be able to offer this opportunity to the residents of New Wortley and Lower Wortley. I believe it’s going to be a huge success. We already have quite a number of people signed up and the feedback we’ve got so far is absolutely fantastic.”
The Pantry is located at the New Wortley Community Centre, 40 Tong Road, Wortley, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS12 1LZ.
Cover image © Copyright Leeds-List 2025
