The Pastor feeding body and soul

Church leader Revd Dr Kevin Kerr is using his love for cooking to provide spiritual and physical nutrition for the local community.

But it’s not just any food: it’s Caribbean food – including vegan options – deliciously enhanced via Dr Kerr’s cordon bleu training. It’s distributed for free, as well as sold, at The Pantry – a food hub, based at the Liberty Church, Norbury, south London, which Dr Kerr founded in 2011.

The Pantry was born during the 2020 pandemic, after Dr Kerr learned some people in his congregation couldn’t afford to eat. He recalled:

I opened up the church myself with two other volunteers and used our kitchen to cook a Meals-on-Wheels-style box dinner that contained protein, carbohydrates and vegetables. They were given away free of charge.

Dr Kerr and his team cooked throughout the pandemic, distributing 7,814 meals – some to the congregation and the rest were handed out by church members to the local community.

Dr Kerr’s love of cooking started at 12, whilst growing up with his mother, a nurse. When she came home from work, she was often too tired to cook, so Dr Kerr took the initiative and began cooking after his mother had taught him how. Soon, he was cooking all the meals – and even cooked when his mother brought her fellow nurses home for Friday evening get-togethers.

As Dr Kerr got older, he found himself doing the catering at his places of work and at churches he was part of. It made sense, then, that during the pandemic, he took a diploma course at (Prue) Leiths Culinary School to further enhance his skills. To date, The Pantry has cooked and distributed or sold 23,262 meals.

Dr Kerr has big hopes for The Pantry. It’s his desire to turn it into a business and to have outlets across London, as well as continue its charitable arm to provide meals to those in need.

And The Pantry is making great impact. Some people have joined the church as a result of receiving meals, and, since they have started posting details on social media, Dr Kerr has had people tell him they’ll be joining the church because of the work he is doing.

He is taking all the interest shown in The Pantry and the church in his stride. “You know, I’m here to serve the community, and it doesn’t always have to be from the pulpit.” Visit www.libertychristianministries.co.uk/food-bank/