The foodbank was founded in 2012 with the intention of filling a short-term need to help a small number of individuals in North Tyneside. The campaign quickly gathered the support of local churches in Whitley Bay, before establishing itself in a storeroom above the Methodist Church on Oxford Street. From there, finances to build adequate shelving came in, food ready for making parcels was donated and our workload has been increasing ever since then!

The need, as we saw it, led us to the aim of providing food provision to individuals or families experiencing a financial crisis.  This could be because of financial hardship, bereavement, benefit delay, redundancy, unexpected bill or illness. Those in need of a food parcel are referred to us by a number of agencies and individuals, including; GP Surgeries, Adult Social Services (North Tyneside Council), Schools, Job Centre's and Citizens Advice Bureau amongst others.

The food parcels themselves provide each service user with enough food to last 4-5 days;  and can include fresh fruit, fresh vegetables, butter, eggs, and cheese. As a general rule, we can provide up to 4 emergency food parcels to an individual in a 6 month period. We maintain a secure database of deliveries to monitor this.

Due to the ever increasing demand in North Tyneside, especially since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have continually grown. We are now based in a self contained warehouse with offices and additional storage in North Shields. This makes us more accessible for people to pick up their food parcel, however we still deliver directly to families and individuals who may be unable to pick up for themselves.

Since March 2020, we have been working alongside North Tyneside Council more than ever to help provide food parcels to those worst affected by the consequences of the pandemic. Like many, we do not know what is waiting on the horizon for those in North Tyneside - but rest assured we will always be here for you if you need us.

Facts, Figures & Achievements

• As of January 2024, we have provided over 56,000 emergency food parcels to clients across North Tyneside and parts of Northumberland.

• Nominated for ‘Spirit of North Tyneside’ award in 2021.

• In 2017, we were awarded the ‘Golden Fleece Award’ by The Cedarwood Trust.

• Our Co-Founder, Jackie Dickinson, also appeared in the 2016 film ‘I, Daniel Blake’ as a foodbank volunteer (We decided to give her an honorary Bafta for her role!)

• We were chosen as Sainsbury’s Charity of the Year for 2015/2016, after which their generous customers raised nearly £4000 for us!

• The foodbank was awarded the ‘Whitley Bay Town Cup’ in 2014 for it’s charitable work.