Food Bank Aid – North London Network

Support your local Food Bank by donating food directly through the Food Bank Aid Network. Food Bank Aid was set up in April 2020 to support North London food banks as they struggled with more than triple the normal demand through lockdown. Since then, we have grown, thanks to the incredible support of our amazing volunteers and donors. Every week our donations support 15-20 food banks across North London, which together, help around 12,000 vulnerable people including 3,000 children.   Through a network of 50+ residential drop off locations across North London, we gather donations, sort them at our new Finchley Hub and deliver car loads full of packages to each food bank. We are proud that, to date, we estimate that we have sent over £1.8m worth of goods to our food banks. What makes Food Bank Aid unique is that by giving the food banks exactly what they are short of, they avoid stockpiling surplus items and have the right stock for the families that they support. It was clear to us that whilst one food bank had overstock of a product, another perhaps just a few miles away, would be desperately short. So we also created a network between the food banks so that they can share unneeded products with others who need it more. Each week the food banks let us know what they need and we post a ‘Shopping List’ on social media.

There are three ways to donate to Food Bank Aid:

1. Shop from items on our shopping list below and drop them to our Hub 2. Send a supermarket or other online delivery direct to our Hub 3. Organise a street collection and drop it off at our Hub: - Food Bank Aid, Unit 2B, Chaplin Square, Great North Leisure Park, London N12 0GL

Shopping list & what the food banks really need:

Tomato ketchup Spices - chilli, cumin, coriander, turmeric, black pepper Jelly blocks Instant coffee Cooking Oil (max 1L) Long life tofu Baking - yeast, caster sugar Spreads - honey, marmite Long lasting fruit & veg - e.g. potatoes, onions, sweet potatoes, cabbages, oranges, apples Tinned Food - fruit, tinned vegetables, fish Toiletries - soap bars, deodorant, men’s shaving foam and razors We also have regular volunteering slots to sort, pack, collect or deliver goods, as well as opportunities to create a new drop off point or organise a street collection of your own. We have also been fortunate to have many young people get involved by organising collections for their Bar or Batmitzvahs, Duke of Edinburgh Award or volunteering by flyering or getting their schools & youth groups on board.   Please join our Facebook Group ‘Food Bank Aid: North London’ or follow us on Instagram @foodbankaid_nl or Linkedin.com/company/food-bank-aid/ to find out more. If you would like to find out the location of your nearest drop off point, or need information on how to send a food donation directly to the hub, please email info@foodbankaid.org.uk quoting ‘Mitzvah Day.’