Food aid
Introduction
We all recognise that food banks should not be necessary. But there over 2,000 of them across the UK distributing emergency food aid and providing a helping hand.
Here we share lessons from food banks we’ve supported over the years, whether you're thinking about starting a food bank or looking at how an existing one can work even better.
Why this matters
At The National Lottery Community Fund, we’re funding community groups which are taking a long term view to supporting people. They’re supporting people’s wellbeing, bringing people together for support and connection, helping people to find work, and a lot more.
But many people need emergency help here and now. That’s why we’ve supported organisations which distribute surplus food to charities, churches, schools, and community groups across the UK.
And we’ve funded many local food banks, community supermarkets and pantries that provide emergency food aid, often alongside other provision, when people need a bit of help to get back on their feet.
Some of them have transformed into critical community hubs. Bangor Foodbank received a £184,590 National Lottery grant in 2021 to expand on the emergency food aid they’d been providing for 8 years.
They used the grant to set up a bigger, integrated service providing food, mental health advice, training, cooking courses, and benefits advice. They also started to offer help with utility bills, debt, housing and employment.
The change was a success, creating a resource hub for the community. It meant people could have a face-to-face conversation with someone when they went to pick up food, rather than making appointments with different organisations in different places.
At the same time, a small, resident-led food aid service which we supported in Poole is now bringing people together. In 2019, residents set up Community Fridge in Branksome Library to share surplus food. Following lockdown, they were saving so much food they opened a second fridge at Rossmore Library.
What started as a small initiative grew into a project supporting 200 households per week. Supporting people in an area of deprivation, the fridges are run entirely by a team of 20 volunteers who make 55 collections a week from local supermarkets and stores – in addition to taking ad hoc donations from allotments, gardens, families, hotels and restaurants.
The fridges are now driving traffic to the 2 libraries and customers have created their own mini-community – sharing recipes, cooking tips and photos of their creations.
Here we share experiences of food aid services like those in Bangor and Poole, highlighting what has worked for them.
What we've learned
Building and managing food supply
Managing the stock of a food bank to ensure a good mix of fresh and non-perishable foods isn’t easy. It may be difficult to source certain items while others are frequently donated.
Here we share what we’ve learned about ensuring a more steady supply of food.
Sourcing food from different sources
Ideally, food should come from multiple sources as even large suppliers may not be able to consistently provide everything a food bank needs. Many start by building relationships with supermarkets and shops, which may be able to donate surplus food, or to provide discounts. Many food banks work with Felix, the national network of charitable food redistributors. The Trussell Trust, Independent Food Aid Network (IFAN), and The Scottish Pantry Network also support food aid providers up and down the country.
Contacting local farms, cafés, cinemas, takeaways, bakers, and restaurants might help too
Partnering with allotment groups, farms, community growing projects, or even fruit-picking teams could provide occasional support. Those who have their own outdoor space can consider recruiting volunteer gardeners to set up a vegetable patch, or even keep chickens for a steady supply of eggs.
Applying for grants
GrantNav, a national grants database, gives an idea of funders who’ve previously supported food banks. The Government’s Find a grant service may also help.
Asking for support
Groups we support have successfully campaigned for food and cash donations from businesses and the public. Some have ran creative advertising campaigns, like “Reverse Advent” for Christmas, where people put 1 item in a box every day for 25 days, donating to the food bank at the end. Others have run fundraising tables at local festivals, put up posters at allotments, sought sponsorship from local businesses and clubs, worked with local media to drum up support, and had collection pots on the counters of friendly customer-facing local businesses.
Working with other food banks
Instead of working independently, you could consider connecting with others in the area and help one another through peaks and troughs. The Trussell Trust runs a Find a Food Bank service, and IFAN has a member list too.
In areas where there are other food banks, it’s worth thinking carefully about whether a new initiative would genuinely add value, or if it might be more appropriate to support an existing one. In Lisburn, a newly established food bank Storehouse Trust immediately contacted another local food bank to minimise duplication. The group is also working with schools, a debt advice service, and Citizens Advice to make sure their service reaches those most in need.
Making provisions to buy items to fill gaps
This may be needed to make sure a supply of culturally appropriate foods, where few suppliers in the area stock these. Some grant holders have built up financial reserves to be able to purchase goods when donations fluctuate.
Promoting existing government schemes to make most of limited resources
Healthy Start / Best Start Foods help towards the cost of fruit, vegetables, milk and infant formula for pregnant women on low-incomes, and families with young children. The South Belfast Food Alliance successfully campaigned for more shops to accept Healthy Start vouchers. This meant the food bank could focus on products that weren’t readily available. The Brighton and Hove Food Partnership promoted Healthy Start by raising awareness among food bank, charity and public sector staff. This led to a significant increase in the uptake of the vouchers – including 80% in 1 area.
Understanding customer needs
As well as keeping shelves stocked, food banks also need to keep their supplies relevant, recognising that customers have different and changing needs. Here are some questions to think about:
are there foods that are difficult for people to buy at an affordable price in the area, like ingredients for Indian, eastern European or Caribbean recipes
is it possible to provide halal or kosher food, plant-based proteins, or food for those who take medication that affects what they can eat? The Karim Foundation teamed up with local independent businesses to offer appropriate food during Ramadan
are customers used to eating foods like tinned vegetables and soups? There are some who aren’t, so there is a risk that those might go to waste
how much do you know about customer needs? This doesn’t need to be complicated: could be addressed by talking to customers during collections or running a short survey
Offering people dignity and choice
Most people prefer being able to choose their food, rather than being given a pre-selected parcel. And they’re often readier to accept food aid when they feel more like a customer than a recipient of charity.
Some groups run a hybrid food bank and food pantry – a membership shop where people can choose their own items for a subsidised price. Edinburgh’s Community One Stop Shop encourages its food bank users to join their low-cost food pantry, helping them to rely less on the food bank.
Finding ways to minimise stigma
People may feel they don’t deserve food aid, or that other people should be a higher priority. And some don’t like taking something for nothing. So finding ways for them to contribute, perhaps with a small donation or by volunteering some time, can make it easier to accept help. Some of our grant holders encourage donations through a “pay as you feel” or “pay it forward” model. Food Power found that warm relationships between staff and customers encouraged people to volunteer, as a way of giving back to the community that helped them. Whatever the opportunities are, it’s worth making sure that customers are aware of how they could help, and how their contribution would be valued.
Some people may feel more comfortable receiving support when they can see that the wider community will benefit
In Middlesbrough, surplus food pantries are called EcoShops and described as environmental projects: by supplying surplus food that would otherwise go to landfill, they’re helping to solve an environmental problem.
Providing no-cook options
It isn’t helpful to provide raw food if people can’t afford to put the oven on or use the cooker. Some food banks provide “kettle packs” for those who don’t have cooking facilities, with instant food that can be made with hot water. Other options include microwaveable meals, or cold food like cereal. The Trussell Trust recognises that kettle packs don’t meet the same nutritional standards as its standard parcels, thereby offering the packs alongside fruit and vegetables that don’t need cooking.
Providing more than just food
Food banks often provide more than food. They play an important role in communities, connecting people, providing a listening ear, and helping people to get back on their feet.
Freeing up time for staff and volunteers to listen to what’s going on in people’s lives can make a big difference: a conversation is more effective than a signposting leaflet in a food parcel. Talking to a food bank volunteer might be the first time a customer has spoken to anyone about their difficulties. Some food banks have recruited volunteers as interpreters, widening the reach and making sure people are understood.
Many food banks have found that working with organisations like baby banks or second-hand school uniform shops can bring real benefits to customers with young families. Seeds and gardening tools can help people start to grow some of their own food.
Donated non-essential items can help people’s wellbeing. Hazel Grove food bank stock skin care products and chocolate, because “people are coming here with so many difficulties and problems with their lives. It’s nice to send them away with something extra in their bags so they can treat themselves or their family”.
Linking with other support services
Staff from other services, like job centres, Citizens Advice, mental health charities, and addiction services can come in to run pop-up sessions, sharing advice and encouraging people to try other kinds of support. A Better Start Southend had their staff at food banks to advertise their breastfeeding support and speech therapy service “…with local families who may be reluctant to come to a group.”
Finding and retaining volunteers
Food banks lost many long-standing volunteers during the pandemic, and we’ve heard that some volunteers have resigned to take up second jobs.
Is it possible to make sure volunteers get something in return for their time? Felix’s warehouse for Glasgow and West Scotland is staffed by participants from Move On, a charity working with young people who have been in care. By working in the warehouse, young people gain experience and training for jobs in high demand, including delivery driving and forklift certification.
Is it possible to dedicate a member staff to volunteer management – with time set aside to find, coordinate, support, and train volunteers so that they feel supported and enabled? The Smethwick Foodbank used a National Lottery grant of £8,600 to hire a part time co-ordinator to organise rotas, training and support for volunteers who help to serve their 1,400 monthly customers.
Practicalities
There are some practicalities anyone opening a food bank may want to think about.
It’s important that a food bank is in an accessible location, and that you can welcome everyone into the building. Is the building accessible to people with disabilities or mobility problems? Is there space for buggies or wheelchairs? Could a grant help make adjustments to remove barriers?
Food deliveries are a lifeline for those with limited mobility, or those who struggle to cover bus fares. But they mean fuel costs. We’ve seen biker groups, local businesses and even scouts helping to make deliveries. Although they can be expensive to maintain and run, mobile food banks can go where they’re needed. We awarded £89,465 to Moray Food Plus in Scotland to start a Big Blue mobile pantry to get affordable essentials to remote rural areas.
Swap boxes – where people exchange foods – are a discreet way to offer help. People can access them without explaining their situation to anyone. Balfron’s food exchange box in Scotland, converted from a red telephone box, allows anyone to obtain or donate food at their convenience. The telephone box is now full of non-perishable goods.
Food banks need space to store, organise and pack food. In some cases, we’ve funded groups to move to bigger premises with appropriate storage, or to buy essential equipment like energy-efficient fridges.
Key mesages
The key messages are:
community groups use food aid as a way to build relationships, connect people to wider support, and strengthen communities, not just to provide food
successful food aid projects don't rely on 1 source of food, but build relationships with a range of suppliers, from supermarkets and charitable food redistributors, to local businesses, farms, cafés and bakeries
food aid works best when people are listened to, given choice where possible, and treated as members of the community with an opportunity to give back rather than just recipients of support
Find out more
We carried out the research for this in October-November 2023 and updated it in 2026. The original article on Food aid is available here.
To find out more about the different types of food aid, from community larders to social supermarkets, read our article on cost of living support.