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get help
Anyone can reach crisis point.
We are here to help.
Foodbanks around the country provide emergency food during crisis situations such as redundancy, benefit delays or receiving an unexpected bill.
Crisis situations can occur for lots of different reasons and so we work closely with frontline professionals to identify individuals in need of help by using a voucher referral system.
In order to get an emergency food parcel, you will need to be issued a food voucher from one of our referral agency partners. Statutory agencies such as your GP, housing association or Citizens Advice can assess you for a food voucher and provide signposting for help towards your crisis.
foodbank support
You can also contact the Foodbank so that we can point you in the direction of referral agencies who issue Foodbank vouchers.
visit a referral agency
Advice workers at our partner referral agencies will discuss your circumstances and crisis situation with you and may issue you a Foodbank voucher. To receive a food voucher, you must engage with a referral agency and the support they offer.
bring the voucher to us
Our Foodbanks offer a safe environment, where trained volunteers will provide a listening ear whilst your food parcel is prepared. Find our centre opening times here.
receiving emergency food parcel
Our volunteers will give you an emergency food parcel with enough food to last for 3 days and will be enough for the number of people in your household.
A parcel consists of nutritionally balanced, non-perishable tinned and dried food.
Help over the Christmas period
As part of our mission to provide pathways to resolving crises in addition to emergency food parcels, we have a Financial Inclusion project happening in all centres once a week available to all Foodbank clients. A trained Citizens Advice worker is able to provide face-to-face advice with two primary focus areas:
- Income maximisation (ensuring that people are accessing all of the income they are entitled to)
- Debt (ensuring that debts are under control, with any repayments leaving people with enough money to meet their household's wider needs.)
- Other issues can also be dealt with so please ask the adviser or a centre volunteer if you think you might benefit from this service.
The Trussell Trust have supported North Lakes Foodbank with a FI grant to enhance a financial inclusion approach which tackles the root causes of crisis when people come to the Foodbank. This grant will enable North Lakes Foodbank to improve the support available to people in crisis in their communities, to help facilitate an end to the need for a food bank.
To ensure that this funding is effectively targeted at those most in need we have partnered with Citizens Advice Allerdale who will support people in crisis towards financial stability of either or both of:
- People in receipt of emergency food
- People seeking access to emergency food or identified as facing destitution