Chichester District Foodbank expands support beyond food to build stronger futures

Chichester District Foodbank offers wider support alongside food parcels, including social groups, workshops and partner advice to help with wellbeing, skills and finances.

Chichester District Foodbank offers wider support to everyone who collects a food parcel, not only emergency food. Staff and volunteers connect people with local partners, including council services, charities and other agencies, to address loneliness, health, debt, housing and work concerns. The foodbank also runs free groups and workshops intended to build skills, strengthen wellbeing and create social connections. Organisers present these activities as aiming to help people move beyond short-term need toward more stable futures. Key activities: - Wider support is offered alongside food parcels to address loneliness, physical and mental health, debt, housing and employment concerns. - Stand Stronger Together is a weekly relaxed drop-in with shared food and creative activities; group members have formed friendships and recently organised a fundraiser for the foodbank. - Thrive Thursdays focus on practical skills and wellbeing, with sessions that have included low-impact fitness tasters with Chichester Wellbeing and spring salad planting with Transition Chichester. - Tea, Toast, Talk runs on Friday mornings, offering a hot drink and toast while a different local organisation attends each week to share practical advice, including Supporting You, Citizens Advice, Age UK, Portsmouth Water and Safer in Sussex. - The foodbank works with Barclays and attends UKHarvest Community Hubs to provide financial wellbeing support covering budgeting and debt. - Two former attendees now volunteer weekly and say their lived experience helps them offer empathy and support to others. Summary: The foodbank describes its mix of partner advice, peer support and workshops as helping people move beyond immediate need and build stronger futures. Undetermined at this time.