Where To Get Free Food If You Have No Money

"This post may contain affiliate links. Check my disclosure policy for more information"

Increasing housing costs, inflation, low pay, insecure work, and the benefits freeze are the main reasons that families are being trapped below the breadline. But what should you do if you end up in a position where you can no longer afford to eat?

I Need Food!

A cash crisis could be caused by anything and may well be entirely out of your control. It may even feel like you can no longer afford to live because you have absolutely no money for food but there are places that can help you if you need food now so keep reading!

Local church

ocal churches may well be somewhere that could help with providing you with some food. Volunteers are welcomed with open arms to the church.. you may be able to help out in exchange for one or more of the following:

• Clothes
• Lunch clubs
• Food parcels
• Utility top-ups
• Showers
• Homeless drop-in days
• Disaster/emergency response
• Bottles of water
• Baby supplies
• Meal vouchers
• Debt and budgeting advice

Food Bank

Food banks offer free emergency essentials to those who are struggling to make ends meet or perhaps find themselves in a position where they are starving and have no money for food!

You will need to be referred to a food bank by either the Salvation Army as I’ve already mentioned above or Citizens Advice. Either can give you vouchers to exchanged for emergency food at the food bank. There are more agencies that can refer you such as children’s centers, GP’s or a social worker but you can ask them who they would be willing to accept referrals from.

Click to find a Food Bank near me.

Salvation Army

Your immediate thoughts on the Salvation Army might be ‘but I’m not homeless’ because the majority of people they do help are homeless however they also support families who have hit hard times, people who have been made redundant, become ill or may well be just experiencing benefit delay.

The Salvation Army will provide support by talking through the reasons for your food poverty and determine what the best way to help is.

They would much rather offer an individual a hand up the support and resources needed to help themselves from there on in than a handout, which may well keep them dependent on support and could be unsustainable. They may well not be able to provide you with the food itself but they will be able to point you in the direction of where you can for sure.

You can find your nearest Salvation Army here.

Olio Food App

Olio is an app which allows people to offer out their unwanted food. It’s aim is to share more and waste less but what maybe someones unwanted nearly out of date loaf of bread that will only be going in the bin could be someone’s breakfast dinner and tea. Be sure to download it if you have the ability to do so and if you are reading this & have food on the sideboard you are just going to throw think of those who may be in desperate need for food and either donate it to your local food bank or upload it to the app now!

Thanks for reading & feel free to share or PIN to read again later!