The Trussell Trust - Plymouth

Food banks provide a minimum of three days' emergency food to people in crisis, along with additional support.

Food banks work with frontline professionals to identify people who need support and give them a food bank voucher. These professionals include local agencies like children's centres, housing associations, advice charities, and mental health teams, who are best placed to assess need.

Once someone has been referred, they can exchange their voucher at their nearest food bank for an emergency food parcel containing a minimum of three days' nutritionally balanced food.

Food banks are designed to provide short-term, emergency support with food during a crisis. They aim to relieve that immediate pressure by providing food, but they also offer additional support so that people don't need to use the food bank again in the future.

How to get help from a food bank

If you're in a financial crisis and live in England or Wales, please call 0808 2082138 to talk confidentially to a trained Citizens Advice adviser. They will talk to you about the problems you're facing and provide support to help you manage your money, navigate the benefits system, and identify any other grants you might be entitled to. If you need one, they'll issue you a food bank voucher so you can get an emergency food parcel.

What to expect when you visit a food bank

• Why do I need a food voucher?
• What's in an emergency food parcel?
• What if I have dietary requirements?
• What will my food parcel look like?
• Can my food parcel be delivered?
• What other help is available at the food bank?

How we can help you

• Find a food bank
• Emergency Food

How food banks work

Food banks provide emergency food to people in crisis. Every day, people in the UK go hungry for reasons ranging from redundancy to receiving an unexpected bill on a low income. A simple box of food makes a big difference, with food banks helping prevent crime, housing loss, family breakdown, and mental health problems.

Food is donated.

Schools, churches, businesses, and individuals donate non-perishable, in-date food to a food bank. Large collections often take place as part of Harvest Festival celebrations, and food is also collected at supermarkets.

Food is sorted and stored.

Volunteers sort food to check that it's on date and pack it into boxes ready to be given to people in need. Over 40,000 people give up their time to volunteer at food banks.

Professionals identify people in need.

Food banks partner with a wide range of care professionals, such as doctors, health visitors, social workers, and police, to identify people in crisis and issue them a food bank voucher.

People receive food.

Food bank clients bring their voucher to a food bank centre, where it can be redeemed for three days' worth of emergency food. Volunteers meet clients over a warm drink or free hot meal and are able to signpost people to agencies able to solve the longer-term problem.

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