Food bank Xmas opening times, meals and how to help this Christmas (2024)

Posted on November 26, 2024 by Jo Eckersley

Struggling to afford food?

If you are struggling to afford food, then you can get help over the Christmas period.

Please read our page about accessing emergency food, and look at our list of holiday opening times for local emergency and affordable food projects. It is best to try to get a referral before the 20th December.

Looking for a Christmas meal?

Browse our list of free or low-cost meals in Brighton and Hove, running throughout December and the start of January.

Please note some festive meals are open to all, but others do need booking in advance. Please contact the organisers directly to book your place.

Meals include:

• food on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day
• older people’s lunches
• meals for families with children
• festive parties and carol

Need a warm and welcoming space to go to?

Brighton & Hove City Council’s Warm Welcome Directory provides information about free indoor activities and places you can go to across the city.

Aged over 50 and looking for activities & services in Brighton and Hove?

Ageing Well provide useful directories of activities and services for people aged 50+, including information covering the festive period. Visit their website and click ‘Festive Directory 2024’ for the most up to date information.

Donate money

Short on time but want to help out? One of the best ways you can support local people is by donating money to local food banks, either as a one-off or a regular donation. Have a look at our page on where to donate money, food and time to Brighton and Hove food banks and other emergency food projects. 

Other events and fundraisers for good causes include:

• 

  A joint campaign from the Food Partnership and Community Base. Bring tins to donate to Community Base reception before Saturday 21st December 2024, and help food banks to support people struggling this winter.

  Community Base are aiming to raise 1,000 tins by Friday 22nd December to help make sure local families have something to eat. You can help by dropping off a tin at the donation point in the reception lobby at Community Base (113 Queen’s Road, Brighton, BN1 3XG).
• Brighton Food Bank – are running their Heat the Person campaign again in 2024, asking for donations of a new water bottle, new blanket and hot chocolate, dropped off at the food bank. These parcels will be made for each client so that they can heat themselves in their homes. Brighton Food Bank are also a beneficiary of the Love Food, Share Food campaign by City Food Share who are linking up with restaurants in Brighton and offering customers to donate £1 for Brighton Food Bank and Fareshare. 
• East Brighton Food Coop are asking people to sponsor a Christmas dinner and help them spread some Christmas cheer to people who will be alone. They will be starting a fundraiser in December – please check their website eastbrightonfoodcoop.uk.

Join our #FoodSOS campaign

This year we are doing a special callout for the amazing businesses in this community to support our emergency food providers by setting up collections at their buildings. Whether you run a pub or an office, please get in touch with Rob to sign up: [email protected]. 

You can also check out our top-tips for donation drives.  Below we’ve put a list of specific Christmas callouts for donations from some of the local food projects:

• Bevendean Food Bank, BN2 4LA

  Bevendean Food Bank would like:

  • Christmas treats

  Tel: 07856 408522

  Email: [email protected]

• Brighton Food Bank, Brighton

  Brighton Food Bank would like

  • Gift sets
  • Hot chocolate
  • Hot water bottles
  • Blankets
  • Christmas chocolates
  • Mince pies
  • Christmas biscuits
  • Tinned veg
  • Tinned meat meals
  • Christmas crackers
  • Gingerbread
  • Savoury biscuits
  • Hand warmers

  Call them on: 01273 609484

• Brighton Unemployed Centre Families Project, BN2 0GY

  Brighton Unemployed Centre Families Project (BUCFP) would really appreciate any ‘treats’ – biscuits/ cakes/ chocolate for example – that they can share with service users. 

  Telephone: 01273 671213 / 01273 601211

  Email: [email protected]

• Brighton Women’s Centre Food Bank, BN1 3FH

  Brighton Women’s Centre Food Bank would like:

  • Chocolates
  • Luxury teas/hot chocolate
  • Hand/body cream
  • Toiletries (no bath bombs/bubble bath please)
  • Hot water bottles
  • Warm socks
  • Gloves
  • Scent diffusers

   

• Hove Salvation Army, BN3 3LA

  Hove Salvation Army would like:

  • items such as boxes of biscuits
  • Chocolates
  • Christmas puddings etc.
  • Anything that will last.

  Items can be donated anytime between now and 13th December. 

  Telephone: 01273 323072

  Email: [email protected]

  Website: https://www.salvationarmy.org.uk/hove

Volunteer at your local food project

We get a lot of requests from people that would like to volunteer just over the Christmas period.  Community projects need volunteer help all year round and it is usually quite difficult to coordinate new volunteers for one day over Christmas.

Why not commit to volunteering for a longer period, by having a look at our directory to find a project near you or volunteer at your local food bank.  There are lots of opportunities for people with different skills.

Projects specifically looking for volunteers over Christmas include:

• Hove Methodist Church are looking for more volunteer drivers (DBS will be needed) to transport their guests to their free festive Lunch clubs. Please contact JJ in the church office on 01273324600 or [email protected].
• FareShare Sussex & Surrey offer group volunteering days for corporate volunteers
• East Brighton Food Co-op always need volunteers over the festive period and all year round, please contact [email protected]

Community Works also advertise hundreds of volunteering opportunities across Brighton, Hove, Adur and Worthing. Search their directory to find an opportunity that works for you.