Repton Community Trust

Repton Community Trust are a Kent based charity dedicated to “putting the heart in communities” by working with the community in and around Ashford. The Trust runs Repton Connect Community Centre which opened in October 2018 and has become a well-loved, impactful addition to the community.

In late 2019, the project know as ‘People’s Pantry’ was born. Originally started by 70 members of the community on a Facebook group, it developed into a collaboration between the trust and the community turning it into an ongoing project that has a bright future of helping and supporting the whole borough.

The People’s Pantry started as a community fridge which helped food insecurity and reduced food waste. From there the trust incorporated a dry food cupboard to ensure individuals could have a range of supplies if they needed it. Not long after, Covid-19 started and the demand for their services increased dramatically – this meant that the community trust had to think of a long-term solution to help donate food and supplies to hundreds of people instead of the individual. As the Covid-19 pandemic evolved, so did the Trusts approach to supporting people. This is where the idea of a parcel box solution became the goal.

The solution they needed had to be safe for not only the community, but also their staff. It needed to be available 24/7 and able to keep up with the high demand through the pandemic and beyond. This would indeed reduce risks and help solve the problems they were currently facing.

They also wanted a solution that offered a range of different parcel sizes, along with a customisable option so it could stay in line with company branding guidelines.

Repton Community Trust received lottery funding and decided to put the money towards a community Modula myRENZbox, manufactured by us, which provided a safe storage place for food and hygiene products.

myRENZbox is a dynamic parcel box solution that incorporates technology, accessibility, and efficiency. This future proof technology is at the forefront of parcel management, saving time and providing the ultimate all in one integrated solution.

This contactless, convenient Click & Collect system was installed October 2020, and has provided a safe way for people in need to access essential items. The People’s Pantry is available 24/7, ensuring that there is emergency access to food anytime of the year and anytime of day.

myRENZbox offered a solution to all the above problems along with easy installation and around the clock after sales service. Since installing the solution, the people’s pantry has helped over 1600 people and donated over £11,000 worth of supplies.

The team at Repton Community Trust and their volunteers found the myRENZbox solution really user friendly, easy to use and they navigated through the process hassle free.

There have been no complaints or issues so far concerning the technical IT side of the solution meaning the Trust is able to navigate through busiest times as hassle free as possible.

The trust has found that the solution has other benefits such as a drop off option as well which has the 24/7 option for ease of access.

There has also been a lot of interest and referrals for the product and the solution is seen as a ‘Model of best practice’.

As the pandemic evolves the Trust are looking at their strategy to reduce long-term reliance on The Peoples Pantry whilst still supporting people in need. They are currently seeking funding to develop a Community Shop, providing members with heavily discounted items and access to development programs.