Foodbank+

Every Tuesday we provide emergency food, support, and advice to local people in need.

Every client who attends the Basics Bank receives a package of household and bathroom products, as well as cupboard and fridge food essentials. Not only that, but each client is welcomed with a friendly smile, the offer of a hot drink, and someone to talk to.

This is a critical service for our local community, with every client being independently assessed, and referred to us by Social Services. We partner with Edinburgh City Mission help us maintain the highest standards of confidentiality, care, dignity, and respect, treating every client with compassion and trust.

What’s in a typical aid parcel?

A typical aid parcel consists of the following items, and is scaled up in size depending on the number of people in the household. Some items, such as toiletries, are provided on weeks one and four as required, rather than every week.

Fresh produce (if available): Fruit, vegetables, bread, meat, milk, eggs

Tinned/jarred/bottled products: Baked beans, other beans/pulses, soup, fish (eg tuna/mackerel), meat (if not available fresh), vegetables (if not available fresh), luncheon meat or similar, cooking sauce (curry/pasta/ etc), rice, jam, fruit (if not available fresh), custard, drinking juice, long life milk, ketchup.

Dried products: Breakfast cereal/porridge, pasta/rice, noodles, sugar, biscuits, tea, coffee, stock cubes.

Bathroom & cleaning products: Toilet paper, soap, shampoo, shower gel, shaving cream, ladies sanitary protection, toothpaste, toothbrushes for each member of the household, deodorant, razors, washing powder, washing up liquid, paper handkerchiefs, household cleaning products.

Babies & children (if necessary):

Nappies, baby food, baby milk, spaghetti hoops, hotdogs, meatballs, burgers, macaroni cheese

Our aid parcels can be tailored for specific client circumstances: eg some clients rely on microwaves for heating food. In situations like this we revise the package to ensure it does not contain items that require stove-top cooking.

If you feel that you need help from our Basics Bank

You will need to follow the referral process through Edinburgh City Mission. Local agencies and practitioners such as doctors, support workers, social workers, or church ministers, who wish to refer families or individuals for food support at our Basics Bank can use the link below to access the Edinburgh City Mission referral form.

Referrals...

If you feel that you need help from our Basics Bank..

You will need to follow the referral process through Edinburgh City Mission, please see https://edinburghcitymission.org.uk/support/referrals.

Local agencies and practitioners such as doctors, support workers, social workers, housing officers; charity workers or church ministers.