“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.”
Matthew 25:35-36
Introduction
St Ives Foodbank was set up in 2013 and operates as an independent foodbank (i.e. not part of the Trussell Trust network), although we follow Trussell Trust principles. The foodbank exists to help those who find themselves in a financial emergency where they are unable to afford to buy food for themselves.
We cover St Ives and the surrounding villages of Bluntisham, Colne, Earith, Fen Drayton, Fenstanton, The Hemingfords, Needingworth, Pidley, Somersham and Wyton-on-the-Hill. All food parcels are distributed by delivery, and we do not expect clients to come to us to pick up their food parcels, however special arrangements for collection can be made on an individual basis if required.
We operate on a referral basis, where professional agencies request food parcels from us for their clients by means of an email voucher. We also accept self-referrals from clients. If you or anyone you know needs help, and do not know who to contact, then please email us (details below) for further information. Please do not be afraid to ask for help, we are here to help you. We will ask for a brief summary of the reason you need to use the foodbank and will then suggest an organisation who would be best placed to help with your underlying situation.
The foodbank serves everyone in crisis regardless of faith or belief. It is important to be passionate about inclusion and being non-judgemental is central to the ethos of the foodbank. It is underpinned by the belief that everyone has the right to food, dignity, skills, a chance to work and hope for the future. We provide enough basics to provide a nutritionally balanced diet for a minimum of three days. The packages are designed for emergencies and contain a small range of ‘must haves’ for those who could not get by without.
If you have found yourself in a situation where you cannot afford to buy food, we encourage you to start by looking at the Huntingdonshire – Worrying About Money website which can guide you towards an agency who can help you through your situation while we support you in the short term.
Opening Times
The Foodbank is open every Tuesday and Friday morning (unless otherwise advertised) from 10:00 to 12:00, with deliveries being made any time between 10:00 and 13:00. Clients receive a text message the evening before their delivery to confirm when we will be coming.
All requests for food parcels should be received by 17:00 on the preceding day (Monday or Thursday) to guarantee delivery, although we will always try to accommodate late requests on the morning where this is possible. During exceptionally busy periods (such as in the run up to Christmas), we may deliver on other days or at other times, but we will always try to inform clients in advance by text message if this is the case.
The church is also open on a Tuesday and Friday morning where we run a small community cafe. This is free for anyone to attend for a warm drink, cake or biscuit and a chat. On the second Tuesday of each month we welcome an advisor from HDC’s Resident Advice and Information Team, and on the third Tuesday of each month we welcome an advisor from P3 Charity. There is no need to book these sessions, simply turn up for free advice.
Contacting the Foodbank
Firstly, please note this is St Ives Cambridgeshire, not St Ives Cornwall Foodbank. For the other St Ives, please see https://www.stivesfoodbank.org/. Secondly, please note that we are an independent foodbank and therefore cannot accept Trussell Trust paper or e-vouchers. If you are in possession of a Trussell Trust voucher please ask your issuing agent to contact us directly.
To contact the Foodbank, please send an email to either foodbank@stivesparishchurch.org.uk or foodbank.stives@gmail.com. To prevent delays, please ensure all food parcel requests contain at minimum a name, address, mobile number, number of people in the household (adults and children) and a brief reason why the food parcel is required. A separate email for each request is appreciated for admin purposes.
Professional agencies please see the Information for Agents document which explains the referral process in more detail.
24/7 Out of Hours Support
The Foodbank operates a 24/7 out of hours support service to provide food to clients in emergency situations, where they cannot wait until we are next open. All referrals for out of hours deliveries need to come from one of our authorised partner agencies.
If you are working with a client who needs support and cannot wait until we are next open, please phone us on the number you have been provided with. Please leave a voicemail with your name, number and reason for calling and we will get back to you shortly.
Please note this service is not available for clients wishing to self-refer: if you need food urgently and cannot wait until we are next open please use the Huntingdonshire – Worrying About Money website to contact an agency who can refer you to us.
Our Current Needs
- We have recently completed a move to our new warehouse, and following harvest and Christmas donations we are currently well stocked. While we continue to settle in we have a very short list of urgent requests and are instead asking, if you are able, to consider making a financial donation to us.
- Items for which we have an urgent need:
- Financial donations, if you are able (details on our website)
- Instant pasta or rice pots (kettle or microwave only please), e.g. Pot Noodle
- Porridge oats (instant pots)
- Items for which we already have plenty of stock:
- Baked beans
- Breakfast cereal (except variety packs)
- Tea Bags
- Tinned Ready Meals
- Personal hygiene items and toiletries
- We kindly ask that the following are NOT included as donations:
- Fresh, frozen or refrigerated food, and all supplies that are close to or past their best before/use by date
- Foods that require additional ingredients to prepare, as some items may not be included in our food parcels
- Foods that require long cooking times
- Baking supplies
- Homemade food items
- Alcohol
- Baby supplies – food, nappies, wipes etc. – these can be donated to the Parent and Carer Hub instead (parentandcarershub@gmail.com)
- Pet food – we kindly ask that pet food is not donated to us, but this can be taken to the Woodgreen shop in town instead
- Please resist the temptation to buy large ‘value’ packs or exotic items as they can create difficulties with storage and fair distribution of foods. Basic items and small packs are generally best especially those listed in our urgent needs above.
- Donations can be dropped off at the following locations:
- Morrisons, St Ives
- Waitrose, St Ives
- The Co-op, St Ives
- Tesco Express, Somersham
- Nationwide Building Society, St Ives
- All Saints Parish Church, whenever the church is open
- The Vicarage (Westwood Road, St Ives), in the grey cabinet by the door
Financial Donations
If you are unable to purchase food to donate please consider if you could make a financial donation instead. Financial donations help to support the running of the Foodbank including allowing us to purchase additional and specialist food supplies as required. If you are a UK taxpayer you can also make your donation go 25% further by allowing us to claim Gift Aid on your donations (please see the section below for details).
- Bank: Barclays
- Name: St Ives (Cambs) Food Bank
- Sort code: 20-43-63
- Account number: 13183149
We are extremely grateful to those who donate towards the costs of running the Foodbank by bank transfer or standing order using these details. However, if you do so, we do not know who the gift is from unless you also get in touch with us directly. If you would like to receive an acknowledgement of your gift, please email us at treasurer@stivesparishchurch.org.uk. If you do not use online banking donations can be left at or posted to The Vicarage, Westwood Road, St Ives PE27 6DH (please mark the envelope clearly as ‘Foodbank’). Thank you.
Gift Aid
You can boost your donation to the St Ives Food Bank by 25p for every £1 you donate using Gift Aid. Download and complete the Gift Aid form, and return it by email to: treasurer@stivesparishchurch.org.uk