How and where to volunteer
Small local initiatives
➤ Often the most exciting to volunteer for. Post on local Facebook groups and nextdoor.co.uk to find the ones near you, or try websites such as endchildfoodpoverty.org, the Marcus Rashfordbacked organisation with a map of food charities all over the country.
Food banks and distribution networks
The main food bank organisations have been inundated with offers of help, but most will put would-be volunteers on a waiting list. Smaller food banks may still need help, in particular with deliveries and collecting supplies, so it helps to be a car driver. Administrative roles, working from home, may also be available. ➤ Trusselltrust.org is the largest network of food banks in the UK. ➤ The Independent Food Aid Network (foodaidnetwork.org.uk) maps more than 450 independent food banks nationwide.
➤ Givefood.org.uk has a database allowing you to search for food banks in your area, and where possible lists what specific foods each needs. ➤ Fareshare.org.uk is a network of organisations that take surplus food and redistribute it to charities. Locations nationwide.
Shopping and cooking
➤ Thefoodtrain.co.uk – Scotland-based organisation that supports older people with grocery deliveries, and cooked meals through mealmakers.org.uk. You can volunteer to cook an extra portion of a meal, do shopping or deliver food, as well as simple befriending or doing odd jobs.
➤ Foodcycle.org.uk – Cooked up more than three quarters of a million free meals out of surplus food in 2020, at locations all over England. There are volunteering roles in the kitchens as well as hosting and running collections. ➤ Salvationarmy.org.uk – A Christian organisation that has provided more than two million meals over the course of the pandemic.