Last updated on April 24th, 2025 at 02:30 pm
We recently sat down with Rustington Pantry founder Charlie, who told us what a difference the donations from The Hygiene Bank Chichester and Arun make to the community of this coastal village.
“Top up weekly supplies”
“With bills soaring and people having to make difficult decisions about what to prioritise purchasing, there’s a huge demand in the area for the Pantry. We run a session every Wednesday in the Church Hall and at Georgian Gardens school on a Thursday in term time. Across the two sessions, we’re supporting roughly 100 families per week, with fresh vegetables, frozen meals, dried staple foods and hygiene products.”
“Positive relationships”
Charlie further explains “our aim is to build positive relationships with Pantry users and when possible, we support them in other areas of their life too. We have a Pantry Liaison Officer, who signposts people to Citizens Advice, Early Help and other welfare services. Across the month we also hold well attended social events and meals, as well as hosting a representative from Southern Water who investigates whether he can reduce users’ water bills.”
“These products lift their spirits and give them a boost”
The team at Rustington Pantry are incredibly proud of their relationship with The Hygiene Bank Chichester and Arun. Charlie tells us “without a doubt, the hygiene products supplied by The Hygiene Bank are gratefully received. Many tell us that they do not have the spare income to purchase hygiene products such as body lotions, deodorant, hair conditioner and hand cream, and these products are considered luxuries. We have so many lovely comments about how these products lift their spirits and give them a boost.”
With spare income falling and costs rising, families at both pantries are relying on hygiene donations. Charlie shares “users of the Church pantry are primarily aged 65 and over and are concerned about facing the winter without the winter fuel allowance and families at the school are worried about high rent and household bills”.
“The family didn’t have any hygiene products, and the girl was coming into school without washing”
Charlie was keen to share one particular story from Georgian Gardens school:
“A girl at school had not washed for 2 weeks as the boiler in her house had broken and the landlord had not fixed it. The family didn’t have any hygiene products, and the girl was coming into school without washing. After the headteacher had discovered what had happened, the girl was given hygiene items supplied by the Hygiene Bank – soap. shower gel, shampoo, toothbrush, toothpaste and she was offered the school shower every day until the boiler at home was fixed. The family was also given sufficient hygiene products for their home.”
