Get Help
No one should go hungry – we’re here to help
As a nation, we expect no one should be left hungry or destitute. Illness, disability, family breakdown or the loss of a job can happen to any of us. We owe it to each other to make sure sufficient financial support is in place when we need it most. For too many people, staying above water is a daily struggle. It’s not right that anyone is forced to turn to a food bank as a result.
People living with a disability or health condition, families with children and single parents are groups of people that have seen particularly harsh reductions in the levels of benefits they receive. Against a backdrop of increasing costs of necessities like food and housing, they’re most likely to need a food bank’s help.
While we tackle the structural issues that lock people into poverty, food banks provide the best possible emergency food and support to people in crisis.
Food banks work closely with frontline professionals in communities to identify people in need of help, and can refer people to a local food bank by giving them a food bank voucher.
Food banks in our network welcome and support everyone who is referred to them, always treating them with respect and upholding their dignity. Volunteers will give a minimum of three days’ emergency food, and offer people support to resolve the difficulties they face.
Find a foodbank near you
Call our free helplines
If you are in financial crisis please call for free to talk confidentially to a trained adviser.
If you live in England or Wales
please call Help through Hardship for free to talk confidentially to a trained Citizens Advice adviser on:
0808 208 2138
(Open Monday to Friday, 9am – 5pm. Closed on public holidays.)
They can help address your crises and provide support to maximise your income, help you navigate the benefits system, and identify any additional grants you could be entitled to. If needed, they’ll issue you with a voucher so you can get an emergency food parcel from your local food bank.
Translators and Relay UK
Please ask the adviser if you need a translator, this will be provided via Language Line. If you can’t hear or speak on the phone you can use Relay UK. Find out how to use Relay UK →
If you live in Northern Ireland
please call for free to talk confidentially to a trained Advice NI adviser on:
0800 915 4604
(Open Monday to Friday, 9am – 5pm. Closed on public holidays.)
They can help address your crises and provide support to maximise your income, help you navigate the benefits system, and identify any additional grants you could be entitled to. The advisers can also provide specialist debt and budgeting advice to people calling the line. For more information, click here. If needed, they’ll issue you with a voucher so you can get an emergency food parcel from your local food bank.
If you live in Scotland
Please contact your local authority for more information about a Scottish Welfare Fund crisis grant.
Emergency Food
Emergency food and support for people in crisis
How to get a food voucher
In order to get help from a food bank you will need to be referred with a voucher, which can be issued by a number of local community organisations (for instance schools, GPs and advice agencies).
Visiting a food bank
Our food banks offer a safe and welcoming environment, where trained volunteers will provide a listening ear and support to find further help while your food parcel is prepared.
What’s in a food parcel?
A parcel consists of nutritionally balanced, non-perishable tinned and dried foods, which provide at least three days of healthy, balanced meals for individuals and families.
More Than Food
No charity can replace the dignity of having enough money to buy your own food. We want everyone to have enough money coming in to cover the cost of essentials, whether from secure work that pays the real Living Wage or a benefits system that anchors people from being swept into poverty.
That’s why many food banks in our network offer additional support to deliver more than food, tackle the root causes that lock people into poverty and build people’s resilience so they are less likely to need a food bank in the future. This might be guidance on where to find help with benefits, housing and debt, or a referral to a specialist advisor (sometimes within food banks themselves).