our foodbanks
How To Access a Foodbank
We work with local agencies because we want to provide you with the most appropriate help for your situation. If the local agency feels you are struggling to put food on the table, they will issue you with a food e-voucher, which you can show at the foodbank. So, if you need a food voucher, you should contact the local agency that you deal with.
When you contact a local agency, they will take some basic details from you to complete the voucher. This will help them to identify the cause of your crisis and offer practical guidance. It also means we are able to prepare suitable emergency food for the right number of people.
Our foodbank works with a number of different agencies, including charities, the NHS and the City of Edinburgh Council. If you aren't already working with a local agency and need support please contact our money advice service.
Visiting a Foodbank
Once you have been issued with an e-voucher number, you can show this at your nearest foodbank centre and you will be given a minimum of three days of emergency food.
We know that crisis can strike anyone and we also understand how difficult it can be to think about walking through a foodbank door. That’s why our foodbank volunteers aim to welcome everyone who comes to the foodbank with compassion, kindness and a listening ear.
The volunteers will take your e-referral details and then ask you about any special dietary requirements. We want to make sure that we give you the right food to meet your needs, so please do let our volunteers know if you have any special dietary requirements or allergies, for example, gluten free, vegan or vegetarian.
Whilst your food parcel is being prepared, a volunteer will offer you a hot drink and a biscuit. They will also be available if you would like to have a chat. The volunteer can help you pack your food parcel into bags. If possible, please bring your own bags.
What Is In a Food Parcel
Our emergency food parcels provide three days of nutritionally balanced, non-perishable food.
The Trussell Trust has worked with nutritionists to ensure food parcels contain sufficient nutrition for at least three days worth of healthy, balanced meals for individuals and families. Our foodbank can usually adapt your food parcel to meet your dietary needs, for example, gluten-free, vegetarian, or vegan. When you arrive at the foodbank centre, a volunteer will chat with you about any special dietary requirements you may have.
In a typical food parcel, you will get:
- Breakfast cereals
- UHT milk
- Long life fruit juice
- Soup
- Pasta
- Rice
- Pasta sauce
- Tinned beans and spaghetti
- Tinned meat and fish
- Tinned vegetables
- Tinned or dried pulses (chickpeas, lentils, kidney beans)
- Tinned tomatoes
- Tea or coffee
- Sugar
- Biscuits
- Snacks
More Than Food
More Than Food is everything we do that isn’t food. This includes providing toiletries and household cleaning products, signposting people to other agencies, providing free drop-in sessions at the foodbank centres, and operating our Money Advice Service.
While at the toodbank our volunteers take the time to listen and support you. They can provide information on our Money Advice Service and suggest other routes to accessing support. We have also partnered with various support agencies to provide drop in sessions in the foodbank centres. If you feel you need professional support or guidance please feel to have a chat with them.
Free food list
You can download the list here:
You can find out more about how our foodbanks work here:
