Bow Foodbank

The Bow Food Bank is an ecumenical/inter-faith initiative providing food and support to anyone in need. We are a Charity and as an independent food bank we provide 10 food items every other week to our clients, many of who are ineligible for support from other food banks.

We believe that no one should go hungry. Unfortunately, every day people in the UK go without food because of low income, redundancy, debt, mental health problems, substance misuse or a wide range of other personal crises. By supplementing people’s food stocks, we can help our clients experiencing crisis in Bow to cope in the short-term and hopefully support them move on to a more stable future.

The Food Bank is operated at St Mary & Holy Trinity Church, 230 Bow Road, London E3 3AH. Food are delivered weekly at St Catherine’s every Sunday afternoon and set up at St Mary’s at 4.30pm on Sunday.

The Bow Foodbank is open every Monday, throughout the year, between 9.30am and 12.30pm (except bank holiday Mondays). Anyone in need of our services is welcome to request our support during these hours.

We are intent on reaching those most in need, through direct access and not requiring referral, with on-going support to more than 200 clients ineligible for support from other food banks. We are also happy to help those referred to us by other support services.

We believe in increasing choice, cutting waste, and challenging stigma with a ‘free choice’ model rather than pre-packaged food parcels. Our clients choose the food and other goods they most need, with support from our volunteers.

More than 25,000 items of free food are distributed to those in need annually

We provide a wide range of nutritious, non-perishable food items such as tinned fruit and vegetables, rice and pasta, breakfast cereals, soup, biscuits and fruit juices. We also provide some personal toiletries including nappies and sanitary products, shampoo and soap, toothpaste, and basic cleaning products, including washing powder and washing-up liquid.

We also provide on-site benefits and legal advice from a qualified advisor present every Monday.

However, we believe that the most important thing we provide is friendship.

We are supported by volunteers and financial donations. Our work would not be possible without our amazing volunteers giving their time and the

financial support from a range of organisations and individuals. Find out how you can help support us through volunteering or donating

To get more information or to offer some help, please visit our webpage, http://www.bowfoodbank.org/