The local group on a mission to rescue unpicked fruit Four people to hold the tarpaulin and one to shake the tree – that’s all it takes to save tonnes of fresh apples, pears and plums that go to waste in London every year. That's the approach behind Lewisham Fruit Harvest – a volunteer-powered project that rescues unpicked fruit from trees in local gardens and public spaces and ensures it reaches people in our community who struggle to access fresh food. Formed in Spring 2026 as a...

St Peter’s Brockley Foodbank opened in 2020 during the pandemic to support people experiencing food insecurity in their local SE4 area after seeing an increase in people asking for support at the church. They joined Lewisham's Food Giving Network later that year to connect and learn from other community food projects. In 2021 they developed from a foodbank into a social supermarket (often known as a pantry). A social supermarket is where members pay a small weekly/regular membership to...

Talking about the benefits of a pantry model, member-led volunteering and how to support their work Downham Gleaning Pantry, was founded by Steph Holgate as part of the Downham Mutual Aid response during the Covid pandemic. From packing food parcels in her front room, moving into Brook Lane Community Church and later developing a ‘pantry’ model where residents join and spend £5 a week for a weekly shop, the Downham Gleaning Pantry is a great example of a thriving grassroots community-led food...