BACK in January this column covered City of Liverpool FC’s plans to open a food pantry and food union in the community, giving households on lower incomes access to affordable groceries, toiletries and other items.

The Purple Pantry, named after the club’s colours which are in turn taken from Liverpool’s civic colours, was due to open its doors last week, but as the coronavirus began to have an even greater effect on these communities, the need for such items became more urgent, and the way they were accessed and distributed needed to change.

Rather than open the food pantry as planned, there was a slight change of purpose as the new food union became an emergency source of food, household goods and other essentials.