Stoke-on-Trent Foodbank

Stoke-on-Trent Foodbank, founded in 2012 by local church ministers Rev. Ashley Cooper and Rev. Ron Willoughby, is a registered charity combating poverty and food insecurity in Stoke-on-Trent and immediate surrounding areas. Born from a faith-driven response to rising child poverty, it delivers emergency food parcels and essentials with compassion, dignity, and inclusivity, while signposting users to broader financial, health, and wellbeing support. Core values of respect, collaboration, and community engagement underpin its operations, sustained by over 400 volunteers and partnerships with churches, agencies like Citizens Advice, and corporates such as ARC IT Solutions.

It channels all resources into direct service delivery—nutritionally balanced parcels for crisis-hit individuals and families (over 40% benefiting children), plus nappies and baby foods when available—targeting unemployment, low income, benefit changes, ill health, or domestic crises. Funding supports warehouse logistics, distribution across 15+ local centres (including expansions like Biddulph), and adaptive services like home deliveries, fostering immediate relief and pathways to resilience via referrals, without external project grants.

Unsolicited applications are not accepted; it funds no external charities, organisations, or projects, regardless of size, income, or location. Eligibility is irrelevant as resources stay internal, with a strict geographic limit to Stoke-on-Trent. No grant ranges, deadlines, or application processes exist—funding comes from donations, government grants, trusts, and fundraisers for its own infrastructure.

Distinctive for its grassroots, volunteer-led model, multi-agency referral system, and disciplined reserves policy, it prioritises local poverty alleviation over expansion, differentiating as a hands-on crisis responder rather than a traditional grant-maker.