How the foodbank works
St Ives Foodbank was set up in 2013 and operates as an independent foodbank (i.e. not part of the Trussell Trust network), although we follow Trussell Trust principles. The foodbank exists to help those who find themselves in a financial emergency where they are unable to afford to buy food for themselves.
We cover St Ives and the surrounding villages of Bluntisham, Colne, Earith, Fen Drayton, Fenstanton, The Hemingfords, Needingworth, Pidley, Somersham and Wyton-on-the-Hill. All food parcels are distributed by delivery, and we do not expect clients to come to us to pick up their food parcels.
We operate on a referral basis, where authorised agents request food parcels from us for their clients by means of an email voucher. We also accept self-referrals from clients. If you or anyone you know needs help, and do not know who to contact, then please email us (details below) for further information. Please do not be afraid to ask for help, we are here to help you. We will ask for a brief summary of the reason you need to use the foodbank and will then suggest an organisation who would be best placed to help with your underlying situation.
Opening and delivery times
The foodbank is open on Tuesday and Friday mornings (excluding bank holidays) from 10:00 to 12:00. Our delivery van normally heads out between 09:30 and 10:00 depending on demand therefore to guarantee delivery parcel requests must be received by close of business the day before. We always try to accommodate late requests but sometimes this is not possible, and parcels may be deferred to the next session. Note during exceptionally busy periods we may deliver on other days or at other times – we will always try to contact clients to advise them if this will be the case.
Who we help
The foodbank serves everyone in crisis regardless of faith or belief. It is important to be passionate about inclusion and being non-judgemental is central to the ethos of the foodbank. It is underpinned by the belief that everyone has the right to food, dignity, skills, a chance to work and hope for the future.
Food parcels
We provide enough food basics to provide a nutritionally balanced diet for a minimum of three days. The packages are designed for emergencies and contain a small range of ‘must haves’ for those who could not get by without.
Our current needs
- We are currently well stocked in most items and are preparing for a move to new premises. For the time being we would prefer financial donations if you are able to (see section below), but otherwise our list of most urgently needed items is below.
- Items for which we have an urgent need:
- Breakfast variety packs
- Corned beef
- Curry sauce
- Kitchen roll
- Porridge pots
- Tinned meat (spam, ham etc.)
- Items for which we already have plenty of stock:
- All pet food
- Baked beans
- Breakfast cereal (except variety packs)
- Cream crackers
- Fruit juice
- Fruit squash
- Jaffa cakes
- Meat and veg pies
- Meat ready meals
- Packet puddings (jellies, angel delight etc.)
- Porridge bags
- Rice pudding
- Sanitary items
- Shower gels / shampoos
- Sugar
- Tinned potatoes
- Tinned tomatoes
- Tomato soup
- We kindly ask that the following are NOT included as donations:
- Fresh, frozen or refrigerated food, and all supplies that are close to or past their best before/use by date
- Foods that require additional ingredients to prepare, as some items may not be included in our food parcels
- Foods that require long cooking times
- Baking supplies
- Homemade food items
- Alcohol
- Baby supplies – food, nappies, wipes etc. – these can be donated to the Parent and Carer Hub instead (parentandcarershub@gmail.com)
- Please resist the temptation to buy large ‘value’ packs or exotic items as they can create difficulties with storage and fair distribution of foods. Basic items and small packs are generally best especially those listed in our urgent needs above.
- Donations can be dropped off at the following locations:
- Morrisons, St Ives
- Aldi, St Ives
- Waitrose, St Ives
- The Co-op, St Ives
- Tesco Express, Somersham
- Nationwide Building Society, St Ives
- Directly to the Foodbank at All Saints Church Hall, Ramsey Road on a Tuesday or Friday morning, 10:00 – 12:00
- All Saints Parish Church, whenever the church is open
Financial donations
If you are unable to purchase food to donate please consider if you could make an online donation instead. Financial donations help to support the running of the foodbank including allowing us to purchase additional and specialist food supplies as required. If you are a UK taxpayer you can also make your donation go 25% further by allowing us to claim Gift Aid on your donations (please see the section below for details).
- Bank: Barclays
- Name: St Ives (Cambs) Food Bank
- Sort code: 20-43-63
- Account number: 13183149
We are extremely grateful to those who donate towards the costs of running the Food Bank by bank transfer or standing order using these details. However, if you do so, we do not know who the gift is from unless you also get in touch with us directly. If you would like to receive an acknowledgement of your gift, please email us at treasurer@stivesparishchurch.org.uk. If you do not use online banking donations can be left at or posted to The Vicarage, Westwood Road, St Ives PE27 6DH (please mark the envelope clearly as ‘Foodbank’). Thank you.
Gift Aid
You can boost your donation to the St Ives Food Bank by 25p for every £1 you donate using Gift Aid. Download and complete the Gift Aid form, and return it by email to: treasurer@stivesparishchurch.org.uk
Contact the Foodbank
Please note this is St Ives Cambridgeshire not St Ives Cornwall Foodbank!
The easiest way to contact the foodbank is by email to foodbank.stives@gmail.com or foodbank@stivesparishchurch.org.uk (for both professional agencies and client self-referrals, and for general enquiries) – note that replies will come from the second of these email addresses. You will receive an auto response with details of the information required to request a food parcel – please check your spam/junk folder if you don’t receive this. Professional agencies please see the Information for Agents document which explains the referral process in more detail.
Authorised agents, in an emergency only, may contact the foodbank by phone on 07835 521541 during our opening hours (Tuesday and Friday mornings, 10:00-12:00). Please note that the phone is not monitored when the foodbank is closed, so contact by email is preferred as this is monitored at least daily.
Please note – we are an independent foodbank and therefore cannot accept Trussell Trust paper or e-vouchers. If you are in possession of a Trussell Trust voucher please ask your issuing agent to contact us directly.
Constitution
Thank you to everyone who has donated to us – you can be certain that your donations will be used to help the most vulnerable in our community.
“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.”
Matthew 25:35-36