How it works

Our Operating Model

Emergency food needs are met with dignity and respect through our authorised partners—organisations that either provide specialist services or offer holistic, wrap-around support. Partners offering holistic support are further strengthened by our financial inclusion project, funded by Trussell Trust. This funding enables the involvement of Community Law Service (CLS), whose advisors attend foodbank sessions across our partnership to provide expert advice on debt and benefits.

In addition, a dedicated foodbank support officer attends foodbank sessions to assist customers and provide further support through the wider KCU network. This role helps to connect individuals with services and partner organisations beyond those available within the immediate foodbank setting, ensuring that customers can access appropriate support even where this sits outside of a partner’s core provision.

As part of the Trussell Trust network, we follow shared standards, safeguarding expectations, and reporting frameworks that ensure quality, consistency, and dignity across all Trussell foodbanks nationally. At the same time, KCU has adapted the Trussell model locally to create a more collaborative, community-based approach. Instead of operating from a single central foodbank, each partner within our network holds food parcels on site and issues them directly when a need has been identified. This reduces unnecessary travel, increases access to emergency food at the first point of contact, and strengthens the supportive relationships already in place between customers and their trusted services.

Through this partnership model—with KCU, the Trussell Trust, CLS, and our wider network of community organisations working together—we ensure that people receive immediate practical help alongside the longer-term support needed to move out of crisis.

What’s in an emergency food parcel?

Food parcels supplied by food banks in our community contain at least three days’ worth of meals for individuals and families. The contents may vary, but a typical food parcel can include:

• Cereal

• Soup

• Pasta

• Rice

• Tinned tomatoes/pasta sauce

• Lentils, beans and pulses

• Tinned meat

• Tinned vegetables

• Tea/coffee

• Tinned fruit

• Biscuits

• UHT milk

• Fruit juice

Foodbank’s partners within our network, may also be able to provide pet food and essential non-food items like toiletries feminine & baby products, where they can.

Our Partner Agents

The organisations listed below are authorised and trained through KCU to issue food parcels to those identified as in need.

These organisations also provide support and advice on how to deal with the core problems that have caused people to be in food poverty in the first place.

All our food parcels contain the best food available and all contents comply with the Trussell Trust guidelines on volumes and nutritional values.