Welcome to the Biggleswade Baptist Church Food Bank. We are sorry you find yourself in need of support and are delighted that we are in a position to help. We know this can be a very stressful time and hope we can make the process and easy as possible.
Why referrals? – we never want to turn someone away, but also believe that we must be responsible with the resources we have. We therefore ask that you have a referral. We try to make this as easy as possible and will accept referrals from (directly or through our partner organisation the Need Project) Schools, Social Prescribers, GPs, CAB, Childrens Centre, Social Workers, DWP, housing officers.
If you do not already work with any of these organisations, we advise completing the online form with CAB (click here) who will make a referral and can offer further assistance. Please do mention food parcel on the form which will ensure your enquiry is prioritised. Please be advised that you do not need to be on benefits to get a referral. We recognise that sometime things just go wrong and you need a little help. Maybe your pay has been messed up, maybe you had an unexpected bill or there has been a change in circumstances which has just meant there is not enough in the budget for bills and food. We don’t judge and do understand.
Where, When and Who:
We are based at the Biggleswade Baptist Church at 24 London Road, Biggleswade, SG18 8EB
We run the food bank collection session three times a week:
Monday 9:30-11:00
Wednesday 1:30-3:00
Friday 9:30-11:00
Our volunteers will invite you into our food bank area, offer you a drink and biscuit and give you some space to pack your food into your shopping bags. You will be invited to help yourself to any additional items we have available. Our volunteers will help you to the car if necessary. We also work with Biggleswade Good Neighbours to support clients who are unable to collect the food themselves.
What we offer:
7 days of food – We aim to provide a food parcel which will feed you and your family 3 meals a day for 7 whole days. A typical food parcel will include cereal and milk for breakfast; soup, beans and spaghetti for lunch; and 7 dinners (for example curry and rice or spaghetti bolognaise). Where available we also offer snacks, biscuits, sweets, tea, coffee and jam. We are unable to offer fresh food but do work with the Veg Box Donation Scheme who offer fresh food to supplement this. We can make this referral for you. Our volunteers will also do our best to meet any dietary needs and we have a selection of vegetarian and gluten free foods that are often available.
Toiletries – We will always have toilet rolls, toothbrushes, toothpaste, soap and sanitary items available at our sessions. We sometimes have other items including deodorant, shampoo and conditioner, shower gel and bubble bath.
Some extras – We are often blessed to have a selection of other items we can offer. These are subject to availability, but often include pet food, cleaning products and baby items. Please mention these on the phone to help ensure we are prepared when you arrive.