East Suffolk Council

Food and essentials

Food banks - volunteer or donate

Food banks rely on the goodwill and support of local communities to be able to supply food to those who are struggling to buy it. You can help by offering to volunteer or by making a donation to help them support those who need it.

The best way to get started is to contact your local food bank directly to see what they need the most.

Visit Suffolk InfoLink for a full list of food banks.

Free food sharing app

Share surplus food with your neighbours rather than throw it away by signing up to Olio, a free food sharing app.

Here you can give away food for free to local people - whether it is groceries from your fridge, foods about to go off or spare home-grown vegetables. This way you can help those who might not have a lot of money for food, whilst also helping the environment by cutting down on your food waste.

Give away unwanted household items

Do you have unwanted household items you want to give away for free to someone who needs it in your community?

Online community groups such as FreeCycle and Freegle connect local people who can donate for free - everything from sofas and fridges to baby buggies and DVDs.

Donate sanitary products

No one should ever have to worry about affording essential sanitary items every month.

Our Period Poverty Scheme provides free sanitary items at different locations across East Suffolk to those who need it, regardless of their financial or personal circumstances.

You can help by donating sanitary products for the scheme at one of our council offices or by donating directly to Period Poverty box holders.