This year MxL had the privilege to work with the Food & Drink Federation, helping to design and build their bespoke exhibition stand for both the Lab our Party Conference and the Conservative Party Conference.
Both shows proved a great success, with plenty of visitors commenting on how great the stand looked.
After both shows were done, MxL were left with a whole flight case of leftover food and drink items from the brands that were promoted on the stands.
With the help of the Food & Drink Federation, MxL sourced a local food bank where the leftover items could be donated, and in doing so received a special certificate of collaboration from The Hertford Food Pantry.
The Hertford Pantry was formerly known as Hertfood – a community initiative set up at the start of the pandemic in March 2020 to ensure that local families received deliveries of food during some very tough times.
What started as a short term project soon became a staple for the local area, as it was apparent that there were lots of local families struggling and facing the dilemma of ‘eat or heat’ .
The main differences between The Hertford Pantry and a traditional foodbank is that you don’t need to be referred, you don’t need to meet any criteria (lots of the families that are supported are working in key worker and low paid jobs) and lots of fresh food is supplied, receiving donations of surplus from local supermarkets which would have otherwise gone into landfill – having a positive impact on the environment.
In October 2024 alone 1,396 local families were supported and numbers are growing month on month. In addition to the Pantry sessions, there are also emergency supplies of food and household essentials to those fleeing domestic violence, those facing bereavement and illness and receive many requests from schools and social workers where families are struggling to provide even the very basics – often helping people where other organisations have said no.
The Hertford Pantry do not receive any funding, and rely purely on donations, fundraising and grants. Everyone in the team is an unpaid volunteer, so every penny raised goes to the families.
MxL and the Food and Drink Federation will continue to support the good work that The Hertford Pantry are doing.
The current stand is now in storage ready for the next trade show! For more information about our exhibition stand design and build service, please call the MxL team on 01992 642 642 or email info@mxlltd.evmk.dev
