App Bankthefood has partnered with The Trussell Trust to to notify donors when their local foodbank is running low on supplies

A selection of tins, jars, packets and bottles of food - in green containers at a foodbank — Credit – Radar

An app which links people to their local foodbank and sends reminders to pick up vital items when at the supermarket has partnered with a major anti-poverty charity.

Anti-poverty charity The Trussell Trust has partnered with BanktheFood, a free charity-run app that enables users to connect with local food banks and receive a notification of the food bank’s most needed items every time they run low on essentials.

The year-long partnership will see the Trussell Trust supporting BanktheFood with the development of the app, increasing awareness amongst the general public, and encouraging food banks across the Trussell Trust network to use it.

Since 2021, BanktheFood has grown in popularity and now has more than 48,000 people using the app to donate food items and toiletries, helping both the Trussell Trust and independent food banks in communities across the UK. The app even sends a list of what’s urgently needed when the user arrives at their local supermarket, enabling shoppers to choose the items that will make the biggest difference in their local community and add them to their shop before they get to the checkout.

The app is free for everyone to use and generates up to 7,000 donated items via the app every week. This partnership will allow BanktheFood to reach more users, seeking to generate an additional 100,000 food donations for food banks over the next year.

The Trussell Trust supports a network of more than 1,300 food bank centres across the UK who distributed close to three million emergency food parcels to people facing hardship last year. As well as providing food and other essential items, the Trussell Trust delivers community-based programmes that provide advice and support to help reduce the likelihood of someone needing to access a food bank in the future.

Emma Revie, CEO of the Trussell Trust, said: “This partnership with BanktheFood will make it even easier for people to support their local food bank and donate the items that they need the most. Food banks in the Trussell Trust network are having to buy more food than ever before as donations are not keeping up with the sharp increase in the number of people needing to seek support and the BanktheFood app will help to ensure that every item donated will make a real difference to people facing hardship in that community.”

Emma Spring, co-founder of BanktheFood, said: “We are thrilled to partner with the Trussell Trust. It will allow us to provide more food to people who are struggling to get by and support our partner food banks and charities. Together, we can help ensure that fewer people go without the essentials each day in the UK.”

The BanktheFood app was developed by Daniel Owen and his digital multimedia company Mustard New Media. Daniel and his team donate their time and expertise to maintaining the app as part of their corporate social responsibility.

Anyone can download the free BanktheFood app, find their local food bank and help them get the items they need most. www.bankthefood.org

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