FoodBox provides emergency food, support and advice to people living in the London Borough of Hounslow.
Our story
Here at Foodbox, we pride ourselves on being an incredible community of volunteers and supporters who share the common goal of helping those who find themselves in need of emergency food and support. Working with a multitude of referral partners, our enthusiastic team aims to provide essential provisions to overcome times of hardship for residents in the borough of Hounslow.
Hounslow Community FoodBox was set up in 2012 and started delivering emergency food to those in need from April 2013. We are a volunteer run registered charity (2016). The service was set up in response to the rising number of people facing poverty in the London Borough of Hounslow. The reasons for poverty are varied and often are a result of ill health, unemployment, family breakdown, zero-based working hours, or simply when something goes wrong in a person’s life, and it takes time to find a solution.
The inspiration for developing a service to provide food, support, advice, and volunteering opportunities, enabling people to get back into work, was the vision of the late Cllr. Steve Curran, who was the Leader of the London Borough of Hounslow and Cllr. Ruth Cadbury is now the Brentford & Isleworth MP. A start-up grant and premises were provided by the London Borough of Hounslow, and their continued support and guidance are highly valued by the charity.
Testimonials
“Whilst it’s so sad that FoodBox continues to be needed to support so many people, especially during the pandemic, it’s heart-warming the way our community has come together to help those in crisis.”
“In the 21st century in the UK, food banks like FoodBox shouldn’t be needed. But as they are, I thank all those who donate and volunteer at FoodBox, supporting those in the borough without the money to buy life’s basic essentials. Thank you!”
“I am very proud of the role and support that the Hounslow Community FoodBox offers to those in need. Having a volunteer led service with no paid employees is a total credit to the brilliant community we have and the dedication of residents to volunteer and play a key role in supporting others. It is very sad that we continue to need the service but we must always be there to help the most vulnerable in our community. Time has shown that poverty can affect anyone and our safety net is critical to support those facing hardship.”
The FoodBox service was created to help prevent poverty and support those in a time of need with both essential food supplies and assistance to get their lives back on track. Each year, the number of people supported by FoodBox has increased, and the many success stories continue to inspire and encourage our volunteers to give even more time and personal support.
The London Borough of Hounslow was one of the pilot areas that introduced Universal Credit for those receiving benefits. As with any new system or changes, there were teething problems related to the time it took to process claims and start payment, which at the peak was some 16 weeks. Alongside that, many people faced having benefits sanctioned for failing to meet the new requirements, and families already on benefits and transferred to the new Universal Credit system saw their income fall. We experienced many users of the service getting into debt and needing emergency food and support. Universal Credit is now well established, and timescales for applicants have been reduced to under six weeks, meaning users are less likely to get into the position of having their payments delayed or stopped.
FoodBox has evolved into an important and vital part of the community, supporting those in need across the London Borough of Hounslow. Our service has been flexible and agile, reflecting the feedback and changing needs of both the clients we support and our referral partners. Working with key partners ensures that not only can we provide emergency food, but we can also signpost those seeking support and advice to additional services in the borough. At FoodBox, we are proud of the personal and confidential service that we offer to anyone in need of help and support.
How you can help
FoodBox relies on your support to provide help to people in crisis, including food donations, time and money.
It’s this incredible support from so many individuals and organisations that enables us to offer continued support to those in need. We’d like to thank each and every one of you who support us for your kindness, and as we say at FoodBox, a little help can go a long way.
How we work
FoodBox is managed by a Board of Trustees that meets on a regular basis and provides support to the Volunteers
Status
Hounslow Community FoodBox (“FoodBox”) is a volunteer-led registered charity no 1170666. It was constituted as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation on 9 December 2016, and is therefore governed by its Constitution, which was last amended on 28 August 2019.
Charity trustees are appointed to manage the affairs of FoodBox and to do anything which is calculated to further its objects or is conducive or incidental to doing so.
Objects
The FoodBox constitution sets out its objects as the relief of financial hardship amongst people in the London Borough of Hounslow and the surrounding area, or in other parts of the United Kingdom, in such ways as the trustees from time to time think fit, in particular, but not exclusively by:
- Providing emergency food, essential toiletries, and household items to individuals and families in need and/or for distribution by charities or other organisations working to prevent or relieve poverty.
- Such other means, including (but not limited to) the provision of support or signposting to relevant information and other advisory services.
Our Board of Trustees
Become a Trustee
We are looking for Trustees to join and strengthen our Board
Thank you for taking the time to consider what is an important leadership role for Hounslow Community FoodBox. The information you can download on this page has been prepared to provide further information about us, the role of Trustee and guide you through the selection process.
Here at FoodBox, we pride ourselves on being inclusive and community-led. Our doors are open to everyone who shares our core value of making a positive impact on our community. While emergency food can’t solve poverty, it can provide a lifeline while other issues in people’s lives are being addressed.
FoodBox has evolved into an important and vital part of the community. Our service has been flexible and agile, reflecting the feedback and changing needs of both the clients we support and our referral partners. Working with key partners ensures that we can provide emergency food and signpost those seeking support and advice to additional services in the borough.
We are looking for Trustees to join and strengthen our existing Board. They will be individuals who are committed to improving the life chances of those less fortunate, can think strategically and offer skills in areas such as: finance, legal and governance, marketing and communications, technology, health, wellbeing and nutrition and human resources, particularly working with volunteers.
In this recruitment round, we are looking to increase the diversity of our Board and representation from the communities we serve. We particularly welcome applications from people from ethnically and culturally diverse communities, as well as people with disabilities and other groups with protected characteristics.
This is an exciting time to join the Hounslow Community FoodBox, and having read this information pack, we hope that you are encouraged to apply for the role of Trustee.
