Peterborough Food Bank - how you can help people in crisis this winter

As the cold winter months arrive, more and more people will be struggling to balance their finances in order to stay warm, and put food on the table.

In the past two years, there has been a 38 per cent increase in people needing support from the food bank – but donations have dropped by 10 per cent – including a 25 per cent drop at supermarket donation bins.

With thousands of emergency food parcels handed out every year at the food bank – this is how you can help a family in crisis.

The food parcels given out by the Peterborough Food Bank are designed to last for three days, and are built especially for the people who receive them – whether a family with children or an individual.

To be able to access the parcels, people need to be approved by social services and be given a voucher – and along with the emergency food parcels, people visiting the bank are able to get advice to help them in other areas of their lives.

Food bank shopping list:

The Food Bank has a shopping list set up to help people who wish to donate food make sure they are giving the things that are needed most – however all food is always well received. – the link is https://peterborough.foodbank.org.uk/give-help/donate-food/

People can also donate money to help the Food Bank – they currently spend £6,000 per month

The shopping list, which is regularly updated, is split into a number of sections – and the ‘urgently needed’ items are: Tinned Meat (meatballs ,Sausages in Beans , Chilli Con carne), Instant Mash, Squash, Tinned Soup, and Tinned Fruit.

The ‘Items needed’ section includes: Long life Fruit Juice, tinned puddings and biscuits.

The ‘Items we have plenty of’ section includes: Baked Beans, Pulses, Pasta and Toilet Rolls.

Food donated must be in date – so please no out of date or very near its expiry date items – and they cannot accept baby milk formula products.

Where you can donate:

The supermarkets where there are collection points in Peterborough are:

Tesco, Serpentine Green, Hampton

Tesco Werrington

Waitrose, Mayors Walk

Sainsbury’s, Oxney Road

Co-op, Ortongate Shopping Centre, Orton

Sainsbury’s Bretton Centre

Asda, West Rivergate Shopping Centre

The Food Bank warehouse is open at Dodson House, Fengate, and is open Monday to Friday from 10am – 1pm on Saturday 10.30am to 12.30pm