Do I have to be on benefits to use a food bank?
No. A food bank helps anyone who cannot afford food this week, whatever the reason. Around a third of people who use one are in work. Nobody checks your bank statement.
Food banks near you
Need food this week? Here is where, and how to get a parcel
Every food bank near your postcode, how far it is, how to get a referral where one is needed, and what each one is asking for right now if you can give. Nothing to sign up to.
You do not have to be on benefits
Food banks help anyone whose money has run out this week: a late wage, a benefit gap, a bill that swallowed the food money. Around a third of people who use one are working.
Some need a referral, many do not
Trussell food banks give a parcel against a voucher from Citizens Advice, a GP, a school, a health visitor or the council. Independent food banks and community pantries often just ask you to turn up.
One phone call sorts the voucher
The free Help through Hardship line can issue a referral while you are on the phone, and check whether you are missing any money you are owed at the same time.
How to get a referral, today, for free
These lines are run by charities. Nobody is means-tested on the phone, nobody is judged, and the call is free from a mobile or a landline.
Help through Hardship
England and Wales
Mon to Fri, 9am to 5pm. Free from any phone. Run by Citizens Advice with Trussell; they can issue a food bank referral on the call.
0808 208 2138Money Talk Team
Scotland
Mon to Fri, 9am to 5pm. Free. Citizens Advice Scotland; can refer you to a food bank.
0800 028 1456Advice NI
Northern Ireland
Mon to Fri, 9am to 5pm. Free. Can refer you to a food bank.
0800 915 4604
Other places that can refer you
- Your local Citizens Advice office, in person
- Your GP surgery, health visitor or midwife
- Your child’s school or nursery office
- The council’s welfare or housing team, and your housing association
- A social worker, probation officer or Jobcentre work coach
If the food money keeps running out
A parcel fixes this week. These fix the next one.
- Benefits finder : a few questions, nothing leaves your browser.
- Community pantries and social supermarkets : a weekly shop for a few pounds, no referral.
- Help with debt : if a letter or a bailiff is why the money went.
- Energy bill check : and ask your supplier about hardship funds.
Can spare a tin? Give what they are actually short of
Every food bank above shows the list it published this week. Baked beans and pasta arrive by the pallet; what runs out is UHT milk, tinned meat and fish, long-life juice, toiletries, nappies and period products. Type your postcode, read the list, and drop the bag at the supermarket collection point or the address shown.
Questions about food banks
What is a referral and how do I get one?
Trussell food banks (the ones whose website ends foodbank.org.uk) give a parcel against a voucher, so that people are also pointed at help with the cause. Citizens Advice, a GP, a school, a health visitor, the council or a social worker can issue one, and the free Help through Hardship line can do it during the call. Independent food banks and community pantries usually do not need one.
How much food do you get and how often?
A parcel is usually three days of nutritionally balanced food for the size of your household, sometimes with toiletries and pet food. Most food banks will help several times; some ask a referrer to look at the underlying problem after three or four visits. Ask them; they are used to the question.
Is a community pantry the same thing?
No, and it may suit you better. A pantry or social supermarket is a members' shop where a few pounds a week buys a basket worth several times that, no referral, and you choose what you take. The radar lists the ones near you.
Where does this list come from?
From Give Food, a charity that reads every UK food bank's own website every day and records what each one says it needs. LiveCheaper shows their list for the postcode you type and stores nothing about you. If a food bank has moved or closed, its own website is where the fix happens.