What You Can Do To Support Your Local Food Bank

We are always delighted to see people sharing pictures and stories of he SW London Foodbank Warehouse, located at St Margaret the Queen Church in Streatham Hill. The work they do there is phenomenal, the support they are giving to our community has been undoubtedly crucial to many during the 2020/2021 pandemic.

Thank you to Alice Broster, of Bustle for sharing this story:

Story by By Alice Broster Oct. 28, 2020 for Bustle.

The pandemic has hit people really hard financially and as we head into winter, charities and organisations are gearing up to help people through the colder months. So here's how to support your local food bank.

Over the last decade food banks have proven to be a vital service in communities. In 2019/20 approximately 1.9 million people used a food bank in the UK. This is around 300 thousand more than the previous year. Footballer, Marcus Rashford has also hit the headlines throughout the pandemic with his #EndChildFoodPoverty campaign. He’s working with the charity Fareshare which has pledged to fight food poverty and reduce food waste in the UK.

There are several ways you can donate to food banks, be it with food, money, or your time.

How to find your local food bank

The Trussell Trust is a network of food banks across the UK that get supplies to those who need them. They have 1,200 food banks and give people a minimum of three days' worth of meals. On their website you can use the interactive map to find the closest affiliate food bank in your area. Similarly, Peabody has a list of London-based food banks, many of which are part of The Trussell Trust network.

The Independent Food Network has gathered the details of 929 independent food banks, as well as those in The Trussell Trust network and distributors based in schools, universities, and the Salvation Army. You can locate them on a map and find the nearest one to you. There are alternatives to food banks and the Independent Food Network has also mapped out other food aid services.

Bankuet is another network of food banks run nationwide. You can donate once or on a monthly basis and can select whether you’d like to give to a specific food bank, for instance one in your area, or just to help the network more broadly.