Food Bank Week

Acting on behalf of Leicester’s Emergency Food Partnership, Action Homeless has planned a week to celebrate the work of food banks in Leicester.

Each week, over fifteen food banks in the city open their doors to provide emergency food support to people in need. Many are run by volunteers and rely solely on donations to help people experiencing food poverty.

Last year, the Action Homeless Food Stop alone provided food amounting to 150 tons, or 4000 shopping trolleys, to over 3,500 people. A recent survey of nine of the food banks in Leicester showed that at least 250 people benefit from emergency food support in the city each week – with the actual figure likely to be much higher.

The week will give opportunities for the staff and volunteers of local food banks to visit other sites to learn more about each others operations. Action Homeless will also be encouraging people to thank food banks for the essential work they do and promote ways people can support their local group.

Tim Adkin, Community Support Manager at Action Homeless, said “Food banks do valuable work in the city but it often goes unseen. This week we want to say thank you and create opportunities for all groups to work together to better tackle the needs of people in Leicester.”

If you would like to find out where your local food bank is and how to support them, please contact James on 0116 2211 851 or jamesriviere@actionhomeless.org.uk.

Chaired by Action Homeless, Leicester’s Emergency Food Partnership enables food banks in the city to work together, creating a coordinated effort to tackle food poverty. Members benefit from opportunities for training, sharing best practice and donations and community support for their operations.