Mayor opens Free Little Pantry
On Sunday March 27th the Mayor of Chelmsford, Cllr Jude Deakin, and the Mayoress, Helen Deakin, visited St Augustine’s Church in North Springfield to open their new Free Little Pantry.
The Mayor and Mayoress joined the church congregation who gathered outside around the pantry on a very chilly morning. The Reverend Caroline Brown, priest-in-charge at St. Augustine’s, welcomed the guests and invited everyone to join in with singing an original version of the favourite hymn ‘He’s got the whole world in His hands’ which included a verse saying ‘He’s got the Little Free Pantry in His hands’.
The Little Free Pantry is a joint initiative run by the Anglican, Roman Catholic, Methodist and United Reformed Church congregations who worship at this ecumenical church. The pantry was championed by Pamela Scammell and the box itself was the work of the late John Scammell and Robin Padbury.
The Mayor officially opened the pantry by cutting the white ribbon and then gave credit to all those involved in the setting up of the project and for keeping the pantry looked-after and well-stocked. Food items and toiletries are free for people to help themselves.
The Catholic priest, Fr Jijo, read the gospel in the Mothering Day service which was followed by refreshments. The Mayor and Mayoress were presented with bouquets by members of St Augustine’s ‘Team Rainbow’.
The pantry is located at the end of St Augustine’s Way, Springfield, and it is hoped that it will be a beacon of hope for anyone struggling to make ends meet in these difficult times. As the wording on the pantry states: “Take what you need, give what you can. Be a blessing, take a blessing.”