A YEOVIL food group is marking a year of helping those in need.

Westfield Local Pantry celebrated its first birthday on Sunday, March 3.

The group is part of the Somerset Local Pantry Network (SLPN), which buys and collects surplus food from supermarkets and other outlets, before making it available to members for a low weekly fee.

Each pantry helps reduce food waste and makes food affordable for families, saving them money.

Over the past 12 months, Westfield has grown from having eight members to now supporting 28 households.

They have also launched a mini pantry which can support an additional 10 households on a temporary basis until they are able to get full membership.

The pantry now has a team of 18 volunteers to assist with the delivery and collection of food each week and has employed a part-time project coordinator – a former member and volunteer.

One volunteer said: “Volunteering at the community pantry brings me a sense of joy. The people we are reaching within our local community each week is amazing.”

“I love volunteering, it’s got me out of my comfort zone, and I’ve met so many lovely people and made friendships I wouldn’t have made otherwise,” another added.

And Westfield members praised the work of the pantry.

One said: “I don’t know what we would do for fresh food at weekends if it wasn’t for my pantry membership.”

And another said: “We love coming along after the school run to the community pantry. We are always greeted by the lovely volunteers and there’s even sometimes a cake.”

SLPN is a partnership between Somerset Council, community groups, food charity FareShare South West and housing provider, Abri.

Somerset Council provided initial grant money and support to help the launch of pantries, but each is independently run by voluntary sector groups.

For more information, visit www.somerset.gov.uk/localpantry.