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Can I just turn up at the foodbank?

The prerequisite to benefit from a food parcel is that you must be referred by, Social Work, Citizen’s Advice, GP, Nurse, or Housing Officer.

We recommend the best place to start if you need a referral would be Citizen’s Advice. They will put you in contact with an advisor, who will determine what benefits are available to you and advise on how you can access these. You can contact Clackmannanshire Citizen’s Advice here:https://www.clackscab.org.uk/

When it has been decided that you would benefit from a referral, the referrer shall submit the request on your behalf. You will then receive a text from us to confirm your need to attend to collect your parcel. You will be given a collection code and a time to come along.  

How many times can I use the foodbank?

Typically, you can have a maximum of four food parcels issued to you. Foodbank support is designed to be a short-term solution and here at the Gate we wish to assist with sustainable solutions if your need is long-term.

Even if you have been told that there is a finite number of times that you can visit the foodbank, if you are genuinely in need, it can be helpful to ask. If we can’t help with food provision, we may still be able to connect you to other meaningful in help.

ALL donations are very gratefully received, but here are ideas for particularly helpful items:

• Multipacks of individually wrapped items.
• Items that don’t need to be cooked. Rising energy prices mean a lot of people are requesting items that don’t require an oven, for example, things that can be prepared with just a kettle.
• Items that already include herbs and spices. People accessing foodbanks might have limited seasonings to hand to make a flavoursome meal, so foods that come with those things already are a great idea, for instance, tinned tomatoes that include garlic or herbs.
• Items that can turn pasta/rice into a full meal. Pasta and rice tend to be donated frequently, so it’s helpful to donate complementary items (for example, pasta sauce, tinned vegetables) that can turn them into a meal.

What not to donate…

While all kinds of donations are gratefully received, there are a few things you should avoid giving:

• Items past expiry date. All food distributed must be within the expiry (or ‘use by’) date on the label. Anything past that date will have to be disposed of. Past ‘best before’ is fine so long as it’s still within the expiry date. (Confused by ‘best before’ and ‘use by’ dates? See https://www.food.gov.uk/safety-hygiene/best-before-and-use-by-dates for clarity.)
• Items no longer in original packaging or without the shop’s own labelling. If you’ve decanted the food into another container or removed the labels, it can’t be accepted.
• Anything you wouldn’t eat yourself.  A good measure for deciding whether something is suitable: do not donate anything that you or a loved one wouldn’t want to eat.

We have so much stock, come early to get first pick! Please bring your own bags.

Our October 2023 timetable is ready, we have a lot going on this month and our events are already almost fully booked so make sure you get in there fast. More details to follow on the Family Meal on 20.10.23 and the Toy Sale on 28.10.23