10 Ways To Support Food Banks This Winter
This post may contain Affiliate Links
Local food banks offer vital services to those in need. Here are ten ways you can support food banks this coming winter.
If you currently live in the U.K, you’ll be well aware of how bleak things are looking this winter.
With the uplift in universal credit being removed, energy price increases, food shortages and many people still feeling the effects of the pandemic millions of people are going to be considerably worse off in the coming month.
The knock-on effect of this will be many families who were already struggling to make ends meet will need to use food banks to feed their families. According to the Trussel Trust, a record 2.5 million emergency food parcels were given out last year.
If you want to do something to help, then here are ten ways you can support your local food bank, even if you’re skint and can’t afford to donate food or money, there are still ways you can help.
10 Ways To Support Food Banks This Winter
1. Donate Food
The biggest and most obvious way you can support your local food bank is to donate food. Whether it’s adding a bag of pasta to your weekly shop and donating by the checkouts (most supermarkets have a food bank box or trolley) or doing a specific shop you donate directly, as Tesco would say, every little helps.
2. Donate Your Time
If you aren’t able to donate food, for whatever reason, you could donate your time instead.
Foodbanks are typically run by a team of volunteers and you’ll likely be sorting donations of food into the three day food parcels food banks give out.
3. Donate Money
If you shop online then you can donate money directly to the Trussel Trust via their website.
You can make a one-off donation, a monthly donation or donate in memory of someone. If you’re a UK taxpayer then make sure you add gift aid to your donation. You can even donate by sending a cheque in the post.
Find out more about the ways you can donate to the Trussel Trust using this link.
Donating money directly means food banks can pay overheads and buy foods they are running short of.
4. Donate Toiletries
As well as donations of food, food banks also accept donations of toiletries and household items like washing up liquid and washing powder. You could also donate baby items like wet wipes and nappies.
5. Advocate
I understand that not everyone has the money to make donations or to give up their time around work and family.
One way to support food banks that doesn’t actually cost anything is to show support as an advocate.
This means helping them spread their message by sharing posts on social media, talking with your friends and family about why supporting food banks is so important and even writing to your local MP about food poverty in your local area.
6. Fundraise
If you can’t donate as much as you would like to your local food bank then you could consider organising a fundraising event instead.
This could be anything from a sponsored coffee morning to something crazy like jumping out of a plane.
If you’re planning a big birthday bash you could also ask for donations or food instead of gifts.
7. Take Part In Foodbank Advent / Reverse Advent
Food Bank advent is something which myself and lots of the other U.K money bloggers take part in each year.
It involves adding an item of food to a bag or hamper each day for a month and donating it all to our local food banks at the end of that month. We usually do this in November and donate at the start of December as it gives plenty of time for the food bank to distribute food to those who need it in time for Christmas
I always try to add some treats and Christmas items (like Christmas pudding or a box of chocolates) at this time of year too.
8. Donate Free Food
If you’re a regular reader of my blog you’ll know that I love using apps like Shopmium, Checkoutsmart and Greenjinn to get free food. If there’s free food that we won’t eat or don’t like, I pick it up anyway and donate it to the food bank.
If you’re a business with surplus food then find out how you can donate that via Fair Share
9. Find Out What They Actually Need
One way you can really support your local food bank is to find out what they actually need before making a donation.
Most food banks will often share the items they are most desperate for on social media or you could just give them a quick ring and ask. Many are inundated with things like beans and pasta but don’t often have enough UHT milk, coffee, or sponge puddings.
10. What Not To Donate
It’s also worth knowing what you can’t donate to your local food bank. If you donate things they can’t use, it means the volunteers spend time rehoming them or food could end up getting wasted.
As an example, food banks don’t accept donations of out of date food or alcohol in any form. It’s also best to avoid donating fizzy drinks and instead donate squash or cordial.
Food banks don’t always have the facilities to break down large bags of food, so even though a 5kg bag of pasta might seem like a good idea, 10 smaller bags would be much better.
If you can, please consider helping your local food bank support people in your community who will be struggling this winter.
You may also want to consider supporting your local animal sanctuary
Useful Links
