Get help
How to get help
Here's what you need to do...
To get help from Woking Foodbank you’ll need a foodbank voucher
1. Contact your preferred frontline support agency
We work with local referral agencies in order to provide the most appropriate help for you. They will discuss your situation and can issue you with a foodbank voucher if appropriate.
The referral agency can also provide long-term support to help address some of the reasons for your crisis.
Organisations that can make referrals to the foodbank include:
Citizen’s Advice Woking
Woking Borough Council
Surrey County Council
Schools and colleges
Churches and faith groups
NHS health centres
Housing associations
Probation services
Frontline care agencies
If you need help finding an agency contact Woking Foodbank and we can talk through your situation and put you in touch with a relevant local referral agency.
2. Visit a foodbank centre
Once you have been issued with a voucher you can use it at any of our four centres, please refer to our locations and opening times.
If you can’t get to a centre a friend, family member or support worker can collect your parcel on your behalf.
You don’t need to bring your voucher; providing one has been issued for you, our volunteers will be able to find it using your name and postcode or the voucher code.
3. Discuss your requirements
When you arrive, we’ll welcome you with a warm drink and our trained volunteers will chat with you about your situation. You can discuss any dietary needs you may have, your likes and dislikes and other requirements.
4. Receive a food parcel
You will collect a parcel containing food for three days and toiletries, etc. if available.
Not just food…
The foodbank can be a gateway to other advice and support.
As part of our aim to help you through a crisis, we can offer a package of support including signposting and referral to other projects or organisations, and advice with money matters.
Most of our centres have a café style environment where you can have a confidential and comfortable chat with us. We aim to provide non-judgemental support at the point of crisis.
We have a dedicated Citizens’ Advice advisor who works exclusively with existing foodbank clients by appointment only at The Lighthouse. If you are a foodbank client and would find this helpful you can make an appointment by contacting us.
We also have our own link with Community Money Advice (CMA) who can help with debt management and budgeting. Contact [email protected] or 07360 677242, or come to the Thursday drop-in session at The Lighthouse. Further details are on their website at the-lighthouse.info/projects/money-advice.
If you have any further questions our FAQs may help, or feel free to give us a call.