FOODBANK

SU FOOD BANK

To help support wellbeing during rising food prices, we are creating a food bank for students to access if they need assistance during this time. The food bank is open to any UOS student who needs some extra help to afford food essentials, all you need to do is reach out to a member of our friendly SU advice team who will set up a referral for you, and arrange a time where you can come and collect your food parcel from the SU discreetly, alongside helpful advice and signposting to other services that can help you. The SU Foodbank is for Ipswich campus based students, please see below for resources around the rest of the country.

 

From Friday 2nd August, our Food Bank will be closed with no referrals being responded to at this time. If you need access to support during thsi time, please contact an organisation listed below. The SU  Food bank will reopen on Wednesday 14th August.

External Food Banks

Food banks are community organisations there to support people who cannot afford the essential items. If you need any additional support, you can contact one of the local food banks below: 

Ipswich

Citizens Advice Bureau

19 Tower Street, Ipswich

Tel: 0808 278 7867 9am-5pm Monday-Friday

advice@ipswichcab.org.uk

If you call or email the CAB, they can refer you to FIND.

Allwell Care company foodbank

"COLLECTION ONLY due to demand. 

Please contact us beforehand to arrange a food parcel. 

We may not be able to help if you walk in without notice.  

Please note: Food parcels are available Monday-Friday only."

Unit 19, Riverside Industrial Park, Rapier Street, Ipswich.

A self-referral can be made, contact: 01473 907695

0.9 miles from the UOS.

Food Bank | Allwell Care (allwellcarecompany.com)

BME African Food Pantry

17 Tower Street, Ipswich

You can email them for a referral at: info @bmesuffolk.org / 07492 691190

BSSG, support for Black and Minorities ethnics in Northwest Ipswich. (bmesuffolk.org)

Ipswich Top Up Shops

You can pop into the Top up shops without a referral. They provide affordable food (£2 a bag) to top up your cupboards and a friendly face: 

For more details visit: Home | Ipswich Top Up Shops

All Hallows Church, Landseer Road, Ipswich - Tuesdays 9.30am-10.30am (1.5 miles from UOS)

St Francis Church, Hawthorne Drive, Ipswich - Saturdays 10am -11am (2.4 miles from UOS)

The Triangle Church, Dickens Road, Ipswich - Wednesdays 9.30am-10.30am  (2 miles from UOS)

St Matthews Church, Portman Road, Ipswich - Thursdays 9am-10.00am  (2 miles from UOS)

St Mary Le Tower, Tower Street - Wdenesdays 9.00am-10.00am (opening soon) 

Whitton Parish Church - Wednesday 11.30am-1pm and 2.30pm

St. Peter's, Stoke Park - Wednesday 1.30pm-2.30pm

St. Thomas, Bramford Lane - Thursdays 11.00am-12.00pm

Safe Harbour Church (St. Helen's )- Thursdays 1.30pm-2.30pm

St John's, Cauldwell Hall Road - Wednesday 2.00pm-3.00pm

St. Michaels & All Angels Church, Martlesham – every second Sunday 1pm

Felixstowe

Basic Life Pop up Shops

Trimley Welcome Hall – Mondays from 11am

St. Philips Hall, Wadgate Road, Felixstowe – Tuesdays 11am

St. Pauls Church, Church Road, Old Felixstowe – Thursdays 11am

Newmarket

Basic Life Pop up Shops

The Racing Centre, Newmarket – Thursday 11am

Colchester

Trussell Trust

Colchester Foodbank

3 Tollgate Retail Park

Colchester

01206 621998

info@colchester.foodbank.org.uk

How to get help | Colchester Foodbank

Lowestoft

Trussell Trust

Lowestoft Foodbank

Lowestoft community church

8 Hadenham Road

Lowestoft

07307866146

info@lowestoft.foodbank.org.uk

How to get help | Lowestoft Foodbank

Haverhill

Haverhill Foodbank

Reach resource centre

Gloucester Road

Haverhill

01440 712950

Haverhill Foodbank - The Trussell Trust

admin@norwich.foodbank.org.uk

info@reachhaverhill.org.uk

Norwich

Trussell Trust

Norwich Foodbank

Henderson business centre

51 Ivy Road

Norwich

0300 365 1123

Norwich Foodbank - The Trussell Trust

admin@norwich.foodbank.org.uk

Thetford

Trussell Trust

Thetford Foodbank

The Hub (Church of the Nazarene)

Croxton Road

Thetford

Thetford Foodbank - The Trussell Trust

0844 288 9618 (Not manned – leave a message and contact telephone number)

info@thetford.foodbank.org.uk

 

Find a foodbank

https://www.trusselltrust.org/get-help/find-a-foodbank/

https://fareshare.org.uk/getting-food/

 

Other cost-of-living support 

The following website, 'Suffolk Info Link', lists a wide-range of links to community and government services, offering support from help towards paying bills and groceries to tips and strategies to cut costs and reduce watse: 

Suffolk InfoLink | Cost of living support in Suffolk

Warm banks 

Just as community food banks provide emergency food parcels to people facing financial difficulty, a 'warm bank’ will give those finding it difficult to afford the cost of home heating somewhere to go during times of cold weather. These ‘Warm Banks’, providing some respite from the cold, include Libraries, art galleries, community buildings and places of worship. 

Suffolk Libraries provides some cost-of-living support, which includes warm banks within its libraies across the county. Please see below for a link to their website, which also details other support that can be accessed through this community service: 

Warm Welcome | Suffolk Libraries

The following website 'The Rural Coffee Caravan', provides an interactive map, showing the location of warm banks throughout Suffolk, as well as other community based services that may be of intererst. 

Map - The Rural Coffee Caravan

Please see below for a link to the Ipswich Borough Council webpage, outlining cost-of-living support for local residents:

Cost of Living support | Ipswich Borough Council

Ipswich Borough Council has also produced the following handy leaflet, which includes useful information and links to support services in the local area, that can help with cost of living pressures. 

cost_of_living_support_leaflet_0.pdf (ipswich.gov.uk)

ENERGY BILLS

The Surviving Winter Appeal provides financial support to help people towards the cost of their winter energy bills. Please see below for a link to their website and details of how to apply for a grant towards your energy bill: 

Surviving Winter Appeal - Suffolk Community Foundation (suffolkcf.org.uk)

To receive individual support from the SUFFOLK COST OF LIVING SURVIVING WINTER APPEAL, wherever you are in Suffolk, you will need to contact Citizen’s Advice Ipswich on T. 01473 298634.