Get Help
Visiting a foodbank
You will be welcomed by volunteers to discuss your needs and prepare your food parcel.
“The volunteers at the foodbank were so lovely, they listened to me and made me feel human again. It was the first place I didn’t feel judged.”
The most important step is to get a foodbank voucher.
In order to provide the most appropriate help for the circumstances of your situation we work with local agencies. If they feel you are struggling to put food on the table, they will issue you with a foodbank voucher. The local agency can also provide long term support if needed to help address some of the issues behind the reasons for your crisis. Agencies we work with include: Citizens Advice, Turning Tides, Mind, Safe In Sussex, CAP, HomeStart, Stonepillow, SSAFA, housing support officers, children’s centres, schools, health visitors, social services and local charities.
If you are already being supported by one of our referral agencies please contact them to request a foodbank referral.
If you’re not, and you have children under the age of 18 in your household, you can call the Arun East Family Hub (the Wickbourne Centre) on 01903 276840 to ask for a foodbank voucher.
If neither of these options apply, then you should call Help Through Hardship on freephone number 0808 208 2138, or Arun & Chichester Citizens Advice on 0808 278 7969.
Your referral will be passed to the foodbank electronically and you will be contacted with an appointment time for you to attend the foodbank. This will be between 1pm and 3pm on a Tuesday or Thursday.
You can find contact details of agencies and organisations that also might be of help to you here.
Attending the foodbank
Our staff and volunteers are all very friendly. When you come in you will be greeted by someone at the front desk, and we will log you in (to comply with our fire regulations). After that you will meet one of our volunteers who will stay with you throughout your visit. They will offer you a drink and biscuits, and ask you some questions about what you need in your parcel. You can relax and chat while other volunteers make up your parcel in the stock room; we have colouring sheets and pencils, or Duplo, to keep younger visitors occupied while you chat with a volunteer.
Our volunteers and staff are great listeners, and if you want to talk about your situation they may be able to give you information about other ways you can access relevant support. This is called signposting.