Claudio Mele volunteered at Mary Smith’s Pantry in Pimlico

A MISSING food bank volunteer was found dead in his home by his best friend who is now raising funds for the funeral.

Claudio Mele, 63, was a regular helper at the Mary Smith’s Pantry in Pimlico that is run by community champion Mike Smith. He had relied on the pantry for food during a difficult period in life six years ago.

Mr Smith, who is organising a jumble sale fundraiser this week, told the Extra “alarm bells were ringing” when he received a call from Mr Mele’s social worker saying he hadn’t shown up to his jobcentre appointment. “She said: ‘Mike, we’ve reported him missing to the police and we’ve asked the police to break the door down’,” Mr Smith recalled. “The police said he could be on holiday so they wouldn’t force entry.”

Mr Smith knew he would not be on holiday, so he rushed to his flat in Doneraile House on the Ebury Bridge Estate on Tuesday January 30. He said: “I noticed straight away that the curtain in the kitchen was down. He used to get up early in the morning and the first thing he would do was pull the blind up. In the end, I got a ladder and I climbed through the back window. “That’s when I found him dead in the bath. He had pulled the curtain rail down from the ceiling and was in the bath with him.”

The coroner has yet to confirm why Mr Mele died.

Mr Smith said Mr Mele did not have any savings and was not believed to be in touch with his family. So Mr Smith is fundraising to give him a “proper send-off” to celebrate all that he has given back to the Pimlico community.

Born-and-raised in Westminster, Mr Mele was referred to Mary Smith’s Pantry around six years ago after his benefits were stopped, and he ended up becoming a loyal volunteer, working seven days a week at the food bank during the Covid-19 lockdown.

Mike Smith

The pair’s paths entwined many decades earlier, when Mr Smith met Mr Mele’s dad while he was working at the Pimlico Neighbourhood Aid Centre when he was just 17.

It was serendipitous that they finally met all those years later. They became fast friends and had continuous “banter” together. Mr Mele cared for his own father when he fell ill.

“He was on the autism spectrum,” Mr Smith said.

“Outside the food bank we used to always have quizzes with the volunteers.

“He knew every answer and wouldn’t give others the chance to answer. He was very clued up about history.

“If someone mentioned a country, he would tell you the whole history. ‘Before that country was called this it was called this…’ and go into great detail about that.”

Outside of the food bank, Mr Mele could be found watching his favourite show Only Fools and Horses. Every morning, he’d walk to nearby Café Pimlico and buy two cups of tea and take them back to his flat, chatting to anyone he met on the way.

“I gave him a gold watch and chain (as in an Only Fools and Horses episode). He was going around telling people that I bought him a gold watch and he kept on showing them the watch. A few days later he said to me, ‘the gold keeps on falling off the chain’.”

Mr Smith is fundraising £5,000 for a ceremony in Mortlake Cemetery near Kew Gardens.

“I have to make sure he gets a good send-off,” Mr Smith said.

“I just hope that we can make the money. It is a lot. On Sunday I did a car boot and I managed to raise £265.

“This Saturday at 2pm I’m doing a jumble sale at the pantry to raise funds towards the funeral and also next Saturday at the Churchill Gardens Hall.”

You can donate via the online fundraiser: https://www.gofundme.com/f/claudio-send-off