About our foodbank

Braintree Area Foodbank have been providing food, for those in crisis, since April 2012  Our mission is to see that no one should go hungry.  With centres in Braintree, Halstead and Witham, the need for our Foodbank is increasing with over 5,703* people fed in our last financial year (2021-2022), of which over 2,595 were children. We are sure you will agree that these numbers are unacceptable.

There are many reasons why someone may have gone in to food poverty and these range from

• Low income
• Benefit delays
• Universal credit
• An unexpected bill
• Unemployment
• Zero hour contracts
• Debt
• Short term contracts

The cost of living crisis will have an impact on everyone, but for those without savings, the retired or those with no spare cash each month this crisis will push them further in to food poverty

Our Foodbank runs on a voucher based system.  People speak to one of our referral agencies to obtain a voucher and can then collect a food parcel from one of our centres. Visitors are welcomed with a smile, a cup of tea/coffee and have the chance to talk to someone in a friendly and non-judgemental environment.

We have a monthly shopping list and a number of donation points where you can donate food.  We also have a ‘giving site’ where monetary donations, large or small, can be made.  Whilst all food is donated, it takes over £76,000 per year to run our charity and continue to help those in need, so every penny makes a difference.

Thank you for taking the time to read this page about us and if you require any further information on the work we do please do not hesitate to contact us.

Find out more about what food you can donate

Find out where you can donate food

We follow the standards set by the Department of Environmental Health and can only accept donations of unopened and undamaged goods that are still well within their “use by” date (no less than six months if possible). Items which do not meet these requirements cannot be used and your donation may be wasted.

Thank you

*Braintree Area Foodbanks year runs from 1^st April  to 31^st March

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