Foodbank

In response to the rising levels of food poverty in our community, BDCA and Bonny Downs Baptist Church teamed up to launch a distribution centre for Newham Foodbank in 2013. 

Our team of local volunteers provide emergency food parcels and a free hot lunch for people who cannot afford to feed themselves and their children.

Here is a short video by local film maker Jeremy Acott showing our service in action

Do you need an emergency food parcel?

This section is for you – please read it carefully before visiting our food bank. We look forward to welcoming you soon!

Our food bank is temporarily closed for reorganisation, and will reopen on Wednesday 19 May. For help in the meantime, please contact the Newham Food Alliance for dates and times of other food banks in the area.

Our food bank is open on Wednesdays from 12pm – 2pm at Bonny Downs Baptist Church, 18 Darwell Close, East Ham, E6 6BT. In order for us to provide with you with a food parcel containing three day’s worth of emergency food, you must:

• Be resident in an E6 postcode, and bring proof of your address with you when you visit us.
• Bring a referral voucher when you visit us. You can obtain this by booking an appointment with a frontline care professional who knows about your situation.

Examples of professionals who can provide you with a referral voucher include: your doctor, social worker, a family support worker at your child’s school or your job centre case worker. Download the document below to see some examples of Newham-based organisations who refer people to our food bank and who might be able to help you.

• Please note that we can only provide you with a maximum of three emergency food parcels within any six-month period.
• If you come to our foodbank, you will also be offered the chance to book a free 1-2-1 debt/benefit advice appointment to help you move forward.
• If you do not live in an E6 postcode and need emergency food, please contact the Newham Food Alliance for dates and times of other food banks in the area.

Are you a referring organisation?

This section is for professionals who would like to refer someone to our food bank.

The quickest and easiest way to refer a client is by submitting our online form.

If you prefer, or if you are referring multiple clients, we can also send you a Word form which you can reuse. Please email us to request this.

If you have any questions about making a referral, please email us here.

Would you like to donate to our food bank?

The most efficient way to support us is to donate online by clicking here as this means we can use your gift to purchase the items we need most at a given time.

We also welcome food and toiletry donations at the food bank on Wednesdays between 12-2pm.

The kind of items you can donate are listed below but our needs do change from time to time, therefore please check our Facebook or Twitter first for any recent updates:

Contact support@bonnydowns.org if you would like more information about our foodbank.