The Southampton shop where £5 can buy you a week's worth of food

But if you shop in one of Southampton City Mission’s marketplaces, £5 goes a long way.

The pantry project - run by the same charity behind the city’s food banks - allows people to buy 13 food items, including meat or fish, for just a fiver.

“I started coming in the summer and I couldn’t not come every week,” said mum-of-two Charlotte Berry.

The 35-year-old is among a group of 25 residents doing all or part of their weekly shop at Townhill Park’s marketplace.

I visited it last week as part of the Daily Echo's Boost the Bank campaign.

The pantry runs every Thursday morning, from 10am to 12.30pm, at the community centre in Meggeson Avenue.

It's open to members only, but anyone from the SO18 2 area can become a member, and pay £5 every time they come.

Mum-of-two Charlotte Berry, 35, shops at Townhill marketplace every week

Charlotte had to give up her job as a carer due to issues with her back. She is now looking for a job around school hours to complement her partner's income.

“I’ve got two boys, 14 and five, and the five-year-old eats the same amount as his older brother, it’s like having four adults," she said.

At first she had doubts about coming to the marketplace, but those didn't last long.

"I didn’t want to seem like I was desperate but at the same time you can’t not come here. It’s really, really good and everyone's so friendly. You can't go wrong."

Fully stocked fridges and freezers - straps show what colour category items belong to

Groceries are colour-coded - blue for meat and fish; red for pizza, ready meals, bacon and eggs; orange for milk, chips, frozen and tinned food; and green for fresh fruit and vegetables.

A fiver will get you a choice of one blue item, two red, five orange and five green.

“For £5 you get around £20 to £25 worth of food,” said manager Jacqueline James.

And when you think about it this way, it’s easy to see why the service is so popular.

As it stands, 15 people are on the waiting list. At other marketplaces across the city (St Mary's, Millbrook and Weston) there can be as many as 40.

"The idea was for people to have the support for a year or so and then gradually move off the list so other people can join but with the cost of living going up, this is a huge help for them so we don't have as many people moving off the list," said Jacqueline.

"This is about building a sense of community, people getting to know each other. Some people are neighbours but they didn't know each other before coming here."

A sign explaining how the colour system works

A selection of food and soft drinks available for free

On the day, shoppers walk through the door and pay £5 upfront. They then get together in a room upstairs where they're offered a cup of tea or coffee at no extra cost. Here, they can also pick up some free items such as bread, soft drinks and even pet food.

Dad-of-two Simon Hume, 42, is a regular customer, often coming with his daughters Arya, nine and Saphira, seven.

"We are a home education family so my wife works full time. Living on a single salary we're trying to be as efficient as we can with the money we have as things get more expensive."

Last year, Simon reckons he would spend an average of £50 a week on groceries plus £5 to use the pantry. This year, it's more like £70.

It's forced him to become more savvy, using coupons and vouchers as well as buying in bulk when it's convenient to do so.

Although they have managed to "carry on relatively normally" during the past 12 months, "we're saving less".

Simon Hume, 42, with daughters Arya, nine, and Saphira, seven

Hungarian national, Adam Drapcsik, has also noticed the impact of rising costs, particularly on fuel. When given the opportunity to sign up to the scheme, it was no-brainer.

"It's really good, it's really cheap," he said.

The 34-year-old works nightshifts at Evri's warehouse in Nursling while his partner works part-time as a cleaner. Together, they have three sons aged four, seven and eight.

Also using the pantry is retired courier driver Mike McAlpine, 69, whose wife still works full-time as a secretary at Southampton General Hospital.

He says the pantry "helps everybody out" and, to give something back, even started volunteering on Wednesdays when deliveries come in from national charity Fair Share, Aldi and Portswood-based Farm Foods.

Mike McAlpine, 69, shops at the marketplace but also volunteers on Wednesdays

Townhill Park Community Centre where City Mission's marketplace welcomes shoppers on Thursday morning

As the pantry is quite small, people shop one at the time, so, while they wait for their turn (it can be anything from 20 minutes to an hour), they can sit down for a chat.

Volunteers know everyone by name and over time, they have become familiar with everyone's individual circumstances.

On top of making sure the marketplace runs smoothly - by placing orders, arranging food on shelves, taking payments and helping shoppers through the colour system - the team act as support workers, listening to people and offering advice. If appropriate, they can even signpost them to other charities or agencies.

Seeing volunteer Paula Purchase, 65, console a woman who broke down in tears - overwhelmed by the pressure of making ends meet - was a reminder that places like this are much more than just a pantry.

For those struggling to get by, they are a safe space to relax and feel like they're not alone.

From left: Volunteers Teri Palmer and Paula Purcharse, manager Jacqueline James and volunteer Helen Pain

The Daily Echo is supporting Southampton City Mission this Christmas.

Following the success of last year's Boost the Bank campaign, we are once again encouraging readers to donate at any of the 13 drop-off points across the city.

These are: Sainsbury’s in Shirley, Hedge End, Lordshill and Portswood; Lidl in Nursling and Shirley; Asda at The Marlands; The Co-Op in Archers Road, Mayflower Halls and Sholing; Aldi in Millbrook; Nisa Local in Maybush; and Little Waitrose at John Lewis.