How You Can Help

Money – Financial donations to the Food Bank are most welcome as they enable us to buy specific food items when stocks run low. They also help fund the essential administration required to operate Food Bank such as printing and postage etc.
Food – Food items as listed on our Food Bank Shopping List are always welcome provided they are In Date and in Good Condition.  Please limit yourselves to the items shown on the shopping list , as our storage facilities are limited.
Time – Why not become a Food Bank volunteer?   Most opportunities are during the weekend; however, Food Bank does require help for specific events from time to time so why not get involved?
Spread the Word! – Could you encourage your work colleagues, pub or club members to donate just one tin of food a month and become one of our growing bands of Satellite Collection Points?  Every single tin makes a difference.
Special Event – Why not consider making The Food Bank your beneficiary when doing a sponsored run or cycle, baking cakes or selling teas and coffees?

Volunteers

The Food Bank relies almost entirely on volunteers in order to provide this essential service to our community.  We are very grateful to this army of people for all their efforts and support. Tasks include the sorting and storage of stocks, making up food parcels, manning The Food Bank Centre on serving days, leaflet distribution etc.

Most opportunities are during the weekend however on occasions we do require help at week days for special events.
Please contact us if you would like to be involved in The Food Bank. We would be delighted to hear from you.

Become a distributor

If you work in a professional or voluntary capacity assisting the public in Thamesmead and Abbey Wood then you can become one of our Distributors - able to give out food vouchers to people that you meet who are in need.  Examples of our Distributors include government agencies, churches, homeless charities and military welfare officers.

Becoming a Distributor is straightforward:

1. Download our Distributor Pack or email Thamesmeadfoodbank@inbox.com, or call 020 3149 5783 and ask us to post one to you.

2. Print out and read the pack carefully then fill out the 'Authorised signatories' form including any colleagues who may also wish to be able to give out our food vouchers.

3. Send the completed form to Thamesmead FoodBank, 1 st Martins Close Erith, DA18 4DZ

4. We will send you food vouchers that you can use to help families or individuals in crisis in Thamesmead

Welcome to the team!

About the foodbank

 Thamesmead Food Bank was established in Feb 2009 as a direct reponse of Isa 58:10-11 on Bunmi Omidiran, The Senior Pastor of The Father's House; A KTLCC church an Elim Pentecostal Denomination. Reg Charity, and the challenge highlighted by the Indices of Deprivation for Thamesmead and Abbey Wood.

The national indices of multiple deprivation (IMD) given for the three wards that make up Thamesmead show that Abbey Wood and Thamesmead Moorings (LBG) have areas that come within the worst 10% of the most deprived areas in England and Wales and Thamesmead East (LBB) has areas that come within the worst 20%.

Without the support and resources from  Trussell Trust in Salisbury, which has been operating a similar scheme there since the year 2000, it would have been almost impossible to bring the project to reality.

Talking to professional bodies locally, it became very apparent that an agency for the distribution of food was urgently required and steps were taken to commence this project in Feb 2009 with The Food Bank opening once a week and delivering food to the most vulnerable and desperate  operating from the premises of Emmanuel Church, Yarnton way. Thamesmead.

Since opening, The Food Bank has seen a steady growth in the number of people being referred via a network of professional care agencies including Social Services, Schools and Churches in Thamesmead and Abbeywood can also act as referral agents, this Christmas season 2009 the FoodBank would be distributing 10 tons of Christmas treats to these neighbourhoods, and other agencies that cater for the needy

what we do

we work  to combat hidden hunger across the UK in conjunction with other Food Bank across the country.

what is foodbank

What is a foodbank?

Thamesmead foodbank gives bags of nutritionally balanced food and support to people experiencing emotional or financial crisis.