The North End Pantry at North End Baptist Church in Portsmouth, Hampshire, has finished its building work and returned to its regular opening times in March 2026. This means residents in the PO2 and PO3 postcode areas can once again visit the site at its usual times to buy fresh fruit, vegetables, and bread at a lower price.
Members pay a weekly fee of £5 to receive about £20 worth of food, which includes chilled items and cupboard staples like pasta and tins. According to the Your Local Pantry network, the project is designed to help families top up their weekly shop while saving around £27 each week.
The service is based on Powerscourt Road and is listed by Portsmouth City Council as a support option for the community. The shop is now open on Mondays from 4.30pm to 6pm, Tuesdays from 2.30pm to 4pm, Thursdays from 1pm to 3pm, and Fridays from 10am to 12pm.
The pantry first opened its doors on 20 April 2021 and was supported at the start by HIVE Portsmouth to provide residents with more choice over their food. Local figures from the Portsmouth Foodbank show that over 7,000 emergency food parcels were given to people in crisis during 2024, highlighting the continued need for affordable food.
In addition to the shop, the church runs a community kitchen every Monday evening from 6pm to 7pm. This allows residents to have a hot dinner for £1, and children are able to eat for free, providing extra help for the North End and Copnor communities.
About this article: This story was put together with the help of AI tools and checked by a real person on our team. We're a small crew trying to cover as much of the UK as we can on a limited budget. We're getting better every day - but we're not perfect yet. If something looks off, let us know. You're part of the process.
