We don’t think anyone in our community should have to face going hungry. That’s why we provide three days’ nutritionally balanced emergency food and support to local people who are referred to us in crisis. We are part of a nationwide network of foodbanks, supported by The Trussell Trust, working to combat poverty and hunger across the UK.

The Somer Valley Foodbank is run in partnership with local churches facilitated by St John’s Church, Church Road, Peasedown St John.

The Somer Valley Foodbank is designed to help individuals and families in crisis through the provision of emergency food supplies. Local care professionals in the Somer Valley area refer people, with a food voucher, to the foodbank centre where they are given their food supplies, a cup of coffee and help in finding other professionals who can help them out of their crisis. The foodbank gives the general public an opportunity to contribute to and support local well-being in a simple practical way. The Foodbank operates within a five mile radius of the centre of Midsomer Norton.

Providing emergency food to people in crisis.

Every day people in the UK go hungry for reasons ranging from redundancy to receiving an unexpected bill on a low income. A simple box of food makes a big difference, with foodbanks helping prevent crime, housing loss, family breakdown and mental health problems.

• FOOD IS DONATED - Schools, churches, businesses and individuals donate non-perishable, in-date food to a foodbank. Large collections often take place as part of Harvest Festival celebrations and food is also collected at supermarkets.

• FOOD IS SORTED AND STORED - Volunteers sort food to check that it’s in date and pack it into boxes ready to be given to people in need. Over 40,000 people give up their time to volunteer at foodbanks.

• PROFESSIONALS IDENTIFY PEOPLE IN NEED - Foodbanks partner with a wide range of care professionals such as doctors, health visitors, social workers and police to identify people in crisis and issue them with a foodbank voucher.

• CLIENTS RECEIVE FOOD - Foodbank clients bring their voucher to a foodbank centre where it can be redeemed for three days’ emergency food. Volunteers meet clients over a warm drink or free hot meal and are able to signpost people to agencies able to solve the longer-term problem.

Our foodbank is part of The Trussell Trust’s network of 428 foodbanks, working to tackle food poverty and hunger in our local communities, as well as across the UK.

The Foodbank Network was founded in 2004 after four years of developing the original foodbank based in Salisbury. Since then The Trussell Trust has helped communities work together to launch foodbanks nationwide in a wide range of towns and cities.

In 2020/21, The Trussell Trust’s Foodbank Network provided 2,537,198 three-day emergency food supplies and support to UK people in crisis. Of these, 980,082 went to children.

As a network, we want to see more people helped out of crisis and fewer people needing foodbanks in the future. That’s why The Trussell Trust and local foodbanks are working together to develop new ways to help people out of crisis through programmes like More Than Food.