#FoodBankAdvent is a simple idea based on the traditional advent calendar. Rather than take something out of a box for 25 days, you put something – food, drink and toiletries – in.
Once you’ve got a full collection, you then donate it to your local food bank, which in turn makes sure those in need have the supplies to feed themselves and their family.
The key here is to start ASAP. The earlier the food bank gets the donation, the easier it is for them to process and then distribute the items to those who need them.
It might appear lovely to hand over a bunch of goodies on Christmas Eve, however it’s not at very practical. You might even want to start off your Advent collection with a few items to give yourself a bit of a head start.
If you want to start later, thats OK too. In which case it may be better to let them have the donation in the New Year – the items will still be very gratefully received
What to include in your #FoodBankAdvent?
A few Christmassy treats are very welcome, but keep it to a handful. The bulk of your donation should follow these guidelines:
Go for long life food and drink with best before dates well into 2019.
Think about things that are easy and cheap to prepare. For example, it only takes a kettle of boiling water to cook a Pot Noodle.
Toileteries such as toothpaste, deodorant or shower gel, and items such as sanitary towels, tampons and baby items such as nappies.
Be sure to contact your local food bank to ask what items they need/are short of.. For example theym might have a surplus of pasta, but be short on UHT milk.
How to donate your #FoodBankAdvent
Your best bet is to locate your local food bank. These are often run by community groups, churches and charities. The largest network in the UK is run by the Trussell Trust, and you can search by postcode on its website. https://www.trusselltrust.org
Once you’ve picked a food bank, you’ll need to check how you can drop the food and toiletries off. Some will take packages directly, others collect from supermarkets such as Tesco and Waitrose.
