Who is the food bank for?
We look after people who haven’t got enough money to buy food, for example, because their benefit payments haven’t come through or because they are crippled by debt. Trussell Trust foodbanks provide a minimum of three days’ nutritionally-balanced emergency food to people who have been referred in crisis, as well as support to help people resolve the crises they face.
Who is the food bank not for?
We appreciate we live in exceptional times but we already provide food for thousands of vulnerable people locally. People who have the means to buy food but can’t get to the shops, either because they are sick or self-isolating, people who can’t book a supermarket delivery, and people who are elderly but have the means to buy food can access help to purchase food or have it delivered through the local council (helpline 020 7926 2999) and through neighbourhood and Mutual Aid groups set up specifically for this purpose. If you are particularly worried about someone elderly, call Age UK 020 7346 6800.
How can people access the food bank?
People are referred to us from a variety of local partner agencies already working in our communities – for example, advice centres like Brixton Advice and Centre 70, local churches, GP surgeries, local schools, housing support officers, Ace of Clubs, and many others. We do it this way to ensure that people we are supporting with food are also getting help to resolve the situation that has put them into crisis, whether that be an asylum application, debt, unemployment, or anything else. None of us want people to become dependent on food banks – we are there to tide people over in a time of need. Our partners issue vouchers telling us how many people are in the household so we can provide adequate food for the right number of people. Usually people bring these vouchers to a distribution centre, where our teams of volunteers fulfil them.
How are we running during Covid-19?
To observe the government guidelines on social distancing we have closed all our distribution centres and are running a delivery only service. People with a food bank voucher or voucher code will be given a number to call, so we can arrange a delivery time to drop off a pre-arranged food parcel. We’ve got lots of volunteer drivers helping with this who again are observing the strictest hygiene and distancing rules. We consider the food bank to be an essential service, and we plan to stay open for as long as possible.
How can I help?
At the moment we have more than enough volunteers in our warehouse and doing deliveries. We do always need donations of food and Bankuet are a great way to donate food directly to us without leaving your house. We would also appreciate it if you didn’t call us unless you really need to – we are inundated with calls. All the information you need should be on our website. And if you want to donate money, go for it!