Get Help

How to get help

If you need help from our foodbank there are a few simple steps to follow.

The most important step is to get a foodbank voucher.

In order to provide the most appropriate help for the circumstances of your situation we work with local agencies. If they feel you have insufficient funds to buy food, they will issue you with a foodbank voucher. The local agency can also provide long term support if needed to help address some of the issues behind the reasons for your crisis. Agencies we work with include: Citizens Advice Gloucester, GL Communities, your local family centre or child’s school, your health visitor and social services.

1. Contact a Local Agency that can give you a voucher.

If you are in financial crisis and lack the funds to buy food you can contact either of the agencies below:

Citizens Advice in Gloucester on 0808 189 6280 (freephone) or GL Communities on 01452 505544 to speak to an advisor. Either organisation will talk confidentially about your situation and refer you to our food bank if needed. In addition to providing debt advice they can help you navigate the benefits system to ensure you are getting all the help you are entitled to, provide support to maximise your income and identify any additional grants you may be able to get.

Alternatively, if you live in England or Wales you can call Help through Hardship on 0808 208 2138 at no cost to you (open Monday to Friday, 9am-5pm) to talk confidentially with a trained Citizens Advice advisor. They can also help address your crises and provide similar support to the two organisations mentioned in the above paragraph. If needed, they can issue you with a voucher so you can get an emergency food parcel from a food bank nearest to where you live.

Customers/clients of CCP (Caring for Communities & People) on 0300 365 2002 offer community based support can also refer you to a food bank for an emergency food parcel.

You can always get in touch with us on Tel: 01452 309683 or Email: [email protected] and we can talk through your situation and put you in touch with a relevant local agency or you can contact any of the agencies mentioned above.

2. WHAT HAPPENS NEXT

When we receive the voucher we will contact you by telephone to arrange for you to get your food parcel either by delivery or collecting it from one of our centres at Elim Church Gloucester on Park End Road, GL1 5AN or Hucclecote Centre based in St Philip & St James Church on Larkhay Road GL3 3NR.

The details of our local centre and opening times are here. We’ll welcome you with a warm drink and our trained volunteers will chat with you about your situation. We’ll also discuss any dietary needs you may have and exchange your foodbank voucher for a parcel of three days of emergency food. We’ll also help to support you in any other ways that we can. Our foodbank centre can offer you a drink while you wait for your parcel and our aim is to provide non-judgemental support at the point of crisis.

If you have any further questions our FAQ’s page may help, or feel free to give us a call.

 

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