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Your Nearest Foodbank and How You Can Help

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29 September 2017

By Bronwen

No matter how wealthy you think you are, you’re never more than a few pay cheques away from poverty. At any moment in your life, you could find yourself needing to rely on foodbanks to avoid starving or further poverty. From April 2016 to March 2017, over 1,182,000 three day emergency food supplies were given to people in crisis- 436,000 of these supplies were for children. According to the Trussell Trust, its foodbanks gave out 61,567 3 day emergency food supplies to people in the North East in the last year.

For those of us who don’t live in food poverty, it’s so easy to help. When you’re doing your weekly shop, if you put just a few extra things in your basket for the foodbank, you will be making a huge difference and your contribution will mean the difference between someone going hungry and someone getting a meal. It doesn’t need to cost you much either. Here are some items that foodbanks ask for:

Long life milk

Long life fruit juice

Tins of soup

Pasta sauces

Sponge pudding (tin)

Tinned tomatoes

Tinned vegetables

Breakfast cereals

Tinned rice pudding

Tea bags

Coffee

Rice

Pasta

Tinned meat/fish

Tinned fruit

Jar of jam

Biscuits

Snacks

Deodorant

Toiletries (e.g. feminine hygiene products)

All of these items can be purchased very cheaply and with so many supermarkets offering smart priced versions, you can shove a bottle of value priced orange squash and a few tins of vegetables into your trolley without even spending a full pound. Many supermarkets have a foodbank donation box somewhere in store and so you may not even have to go out of your way to go to your local foodbank. If you do need to know the location of your foodbank for donations, here are all the foodbanks in our area:

NEWCASTLE:

West End Foodbank
Church of the Venerable Bede, West Road, Newcastle upon Tyne NE4 8AQ. Monday and Thursday: 10am-12noon and 2-4pm.

 

Storehouse at the Tyneside Vineyard
Ariel House, City Road, NE1 2AQ
Thursday: 1.00pm – 3.00pm

 

Connect25

The King’s Castle Church, Unit 2, 162, Brinkburn Street, Byker NE6 2AR
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday: 10.00am – 2.00pm.

Walking With. Wallsend People’s Centre, Frank Street, Wallsend, Tyne and Wear, NE28 6RN. Monday and Wednesday: 10.00am – 3.00pm.

The Muslim Initiative Angelou Centre, 17 Brighton Grove, Fenham, NE4 5NS. First Sunday of every month 2pm – 3pm.

GATESHEAD:

Gateshead Advice Centre: Tuesday afternoons 12.30pm – 3.30pm and Friday mornings 9.30am – 12.30pm

Blaydon Methodist Church on Friday afternoons 1.30pm – 3.30pm.

You can also donate at:

The 24/7 Tesco at Trinity Square

The Gateshead Civic Centre

The Queen Elizabeth Hospital

and there are also drop off points in most churches.

Blaydon Co-Op, 20 The Precinct, Church Street, Blaydon, Tyne And Wear, NE21 5BT

Dryden Centre, Evistones Road, Low Fell, Gateshead, NE9 5UR

DURHAM:

Annfield Plain

Annfield Plain Community Centre, Fairview Terrace, Greencroft, Stanley, DH9 8PP
Tuesday 1pm – 3pm & Saturday 10am – 12pm

Bishop Auckland 

Wear Valley Christian Centre, South Church Road, DL14 7JX
Wednesday 10am – 1pm

Brandon

Brandon Community Centre, Brandon Lane, DH7 8PS
Tuesday 12pm – 3pm

Chester-le-Street

The Parish Centre, Church Chare, Chester-le-Street, Co Durham DH3 3QB
Monday, Wednesday, Friday 10am-12:30pm

Chilton

St Aidan’s Church Hall, Durham Road, Chilton, DL17 0EX
Monday 10am – 12noon

Cockfield

Lipscomb Hall
Tuesday, Thursday & Friday 10am – 4.30pm, Sunday 11am – 1.30pm

Consett – Food 4 U

Food 4U, Glenroyd House, Medomsley Road, Consett, DH8 5HL
Monday – Friday 10am – 12pm

Crook

Salvation Army, Queen St. DL15 8QQ
Monday – Friday, 9am – 1pm

Dawdon

St Hild & St Helen Christian Fellowship, Mount Stewart Street, SR7 7NF
Thursday, 2pm-4pm

Durham

North Road Methodist Church. North Rd. Durham DH1 4SG (Caretakers Cottage behind the church. Enter via the car park)
Monday, Wednesday, Friday 1.00 – 3:30pm

Elvet Methodisit Church, 8 Old Elvet, DH1 3HL
Tuesday 1.30pm – 3.30pm

Ferryhill

St Luke’s Church Hall, Church Lane Feryhill
Thursday 10:30am- 12 noon

Fishburn

Fishburn Youth and Community Centre, Butterwick Rd, TS21 4ED
Thursday 2pm – 4pm

Murton

Holy Trinity Chuch, Church Lane, Murton, SR7 9PG
Saturday 10am – 12 noon

Newton Aycliffe

St Clare’s Church, Saint Cuthbert’s Way, Newton Aycliffe, DL5 5NT
Wednesday & Friday 1:30pm – 3:30pm

Shildon

Salvation Army Church Hall, Cross Street, Shildon, DL4 1PF
Monday 2pm – 4pm, Thursday 10am – 2pm

Sedgefield

Sedgefield Methodist Church, North End, Sedgefield, TS21 2BT
Monday 12noon – 2pm

Spennymoor

St Paul’s Centre, Whitworth Terrace, Spennymoor, DL16 7LS
Friday 10am – 12noon

Stanley

The Tommy Armstrong Centre, Clifford Road, Stanley, DH9 0XL
Monday, Wednesday, Friday 10am – 12pm

Trimdon Grange

St Alban’s Church, Trimdon Grange, TS29 6HB
Wednesday 2pm -4pm

Trimdon Village

Trimdon Village Hall, Hallgarth Road, TS29 6JX
Tuesday 2pm – 4pm

Trimdon Station

Trimdon Station Community Centre, Station Rd West, Trimdon Station, TS29 6BS
Friday 10am – 12noon

Ushaw Moor

The Hive, 5 Station Road, Ushaw Moor, Durham, DH7 7PX
Wednesday 10am – 3pm

West Auckland

The Well, 46 East Green, West Auckland, DL14 9HJ
Tuesday – Friday 9am – 3pm

Willington

Willington Community Action, 65 High Street, Willington DL15 0PF

Tuesday 1pm – 3pm

Friday 1pm – 3pm

NORTHUMBERLAND

Vineyard Amble
www.tynesidevineyard.org.uk
Thursday and Fridays 10.00am – 4.00 pm

Bernicia Group

Oakwood Way, Ashwood Business Park, Ashington, Northumberland, NE63 0XF
Opening times 8.30am-17.00pm Monday to Thursday, 8.30am – 4.30pm Friday

North Food Bank

www.berwicktrust.org.uk
Opening times 9.00am – 5.00pm Monday to Friday

 

North Northumberland Food Bank – Alnwick Area

Northumberland Citizens Advice (Alnwick Office)
Monday to Friday 9.00am-12noon or Salvation Army Shop, Bondgate Within, Alnwick Monday to Saturday 9.00am-5.00pm

Bedlington Salvation Army

The Salvation Army
Hartford Road West, Bedlington, Northumberland
Opening times/hours vary depending on weekly programme- usually Monday – Friday between 9.00am – 4.00pm.

Bedlington Christian Fellowship – The Matthew Project

Vulcan Place , Bedlington, Northumberland, NE22 5DF
Monday – Friday when two people are available throughout the day to make up food parcels on referral

Wansbeck Valley Food Bank

New Life Christian Centre, 24 Dacre Street, Morpeth, NE61 1HW
Opening Times Morpeth Tuesday & Friday 2.00pm – 4.00pm New Life, Newbiggin Wednesday 11am-1pm Church Centre, Ashington Monday & Thursday 10.00am -12 noon Holy Sepulchre Church Hall. Pegswood 2.00pm – 4.00pm every Wednesday at the Community Hub.

West Food Bank
www.hexhamcommunity.net
Monday to Friday 9.00am to 5.00pm.

Opening times of foodbanks may vary from week to week but most of the organisations that collect food have contact details/websites that you can check before donating. If your area wasn’t included, your local council website or Facebook page will have details.

 

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