In April we visited Community Volunteers Wales, one of our partner charities, to learn more about the work they do. Community Volunteers Wales (CVW) is a charity dedicated to helping and connecting people in their community who face poverty and isolation by providing a hand-up rather than just a hand-out. Wherever they recognise a struggle in the community, CVW are dedicated to finding a solution to help people. We spoke with Tara, one of the co-founders of CVW, who explained how the charity was founded and the plethora of projects and activities they run from their base in Risca.

CVW was founded at the start of lockdown in March 2020 and initially sought to help those who were isolated by the pandemic by collecting their shopping and vital medication. Tara explained, “We instantly worried about those in our community totally shut off through lockdown and begun forging a community project to help those in the most vulnerable situations.  A simple act of collecting someone else’s shopping when they were unable to gave purpose to those on furlough and ensured no-one in the community was forgotten.”

From their initial services during the pandemic, CVW evolved, recognising that through the cost of living crisis there was a need for something between a traditional store and a food bank.  In February 2022, they opened a hybrid coffee shop and community pantry.  With sustainability at the forefront of their minds, CVW looked at surplus food options to stock their pantry and initially received surplus food from supermarkets. As more people started to rely on the pantry regularly, CVW looked to FareShare Cymru for a more reliable, frequent delivery of surplus food. Since starting their membership, they have received weekly surplus food deliveries consisting of a wide range of food including fresh fruit and vegetables, meat and dairy products alongside dried foods and tins.  

Most recently, CVW received a pop-up kitchen from FareShare Cymru, which has now been set up as a community kitchen at their base in The Sycamore Centre in Ty-Sign, Risca. With the kitchen now in place, CVW are looking ahead to how they can use the space to further support their local community. They plan to run cooking sessions, family-friendly workshops, and practical demonstrations to help people make the most of the surplus food available in The Pantri.

Tara explained:

“We’re developing our Community Kitchen because we see a need for this essential lifeskill. In The Pantri we offer baskets of food to our members for just £5. However, what do people do if they aren’t able to put recipes together from these core ingredients? We see this project as a way of helping families take control of their food budgets and still provide healthy and nutritional meals every day.”

These sessions will also build on CVW’s wider goal of promoting confidence, community and resilience through food. Tara shared her personal view on the deeper benefits of cooking together:

“Some of my fondest memories involve family meals. Cooking with my family genuinely brings me joy. Not only do your children learn important life skills and build confidence from having the independence to do things for themselves. But they also learn and develop additional skills; numeracy, communication and problem solving all from helping cook dinner. Most importantly, they have fun. A messy kitchen is a happy kitchen!”

The Pantri, launched just one year later.  A purpose designed high street community pantry.  Tara explained how they emphasise the positive impact of purchasing surplus food to their service users to help lift them up and reduce the stigma of using a pantry:

“We’ve focused our messaging to remove stigma of affordable food.  Our Pantri is here to help anyone; whether that be to make more conscious shopping decisions that lower their carbon footprint, or to elevate the pressure of food poverty.  We’ve been clear that this is not a food bank and we are repurposing food destined for landfill.”

Tara went on to explain how crucial food is in making their whole operation work:

“Everyone within our organisation is aware that when someone comes into our Pantri, there may be more that they need than our food.  Food is what helps us connect to everyone, it’s a simple conversation starter.  We ask about what their favourite soup might be and the next thing we’re talking about why they’ve come to Pantri and what other services we have that may help them.  It’s a gateway to offer people more support.”

As CVW has continued to grow and innovate over the last five years, they have set up a wide range of projects to benefit the community. Some of these include:

• A community bike hub where bikes can be repaired (instead of going to landfill) and given to people who need them
• a free school uniform scheme that allows people to get their hands on secondhand uniform for free
• a pet food bank and baby bank run from the back of The Pantri, giving extra support to families
• run community events for people experiencing loneliness and isolation.

The Pantri won The Trailblazer award at the Welsh Charity Awards in 2023 for the outstanding impact it is having in its local community.  Now boasting over 560 members, they estimate that they redirect 350kg food from landfill every week.  Also recognising that people may need an extra hand-up, they average three emergency food parcels per week; which is around 10 people per week fed for free. 

Now with a new base at The Sycamore Centre in Ty-Sign Risca, CVW continue to strengthen their relationships in the community and reach more people in need.  Tara explains “Whether it be a food parcel, a referral or a simple conversation, we are here to help.  We’re so proud of what we’ve achieved so far and so thankful for our partnership with Fareshare Cymru for making it possible.”

At FareShare Cymru, we’re proud to work with organisations like CVW that have a real impact on people’s lives. CVW continually strives to help people and find solutions to problems within their area. Whilst The Pantri is only one part of their organisation, CVW recognise that food is a crucial element to help people, reduce suffering, and foster a real sense of community. As Tara said herself, “There’s a much bigger picture…and food is always a part of that”.