Lodge Lane is renowned for its wide array of restaurants, cafes and international supermarkets, but it’s equally at the coalface of food insecurity.
Every Thursday for the past 15 months, the Tiber Square Food Pantry in Toxteth has seen some of the largest queues forming along the street from 8am, two hours before the pantry opens. Run by the Greenhouse Project and Fans Supporting Foodbanks and backed by Fareshare and the Spirit Of Shankly Supporters group, it has so far managed to feed almost 13,500 family members living in the local area, according to its first annual report.
Paul Khan, Chair of the Greenhouse Project based behind the Square, said the project was warmly welcomed by the local community and has since grown to become an essential service on the frontline of the cost of living crisis. Members, of which there have been 717 since the pantry started, pay £3.50 each week and receive £20 worth of items - including fresh halal meat from a local supermarket as well as household goods.
