Get food
- Waiting for benefit to start
- Changed benefits
- Benefits sanctioned
- Stopped benefits
- Unemployment
- Debt
- Sickness
- Lack of free school meals during holidays
- Asylum / Immigration
- Street homelessness
- Sofa surfing
- Family crisis
- Crisis Support refused
- Covid-related emergency (e.g., loss of working hours)
If you have children under 5, contact a local Children’s Centre. If you have older children, their school's family worker may be able to help. Your children may even qualify for free school meals. During the current Cornavirus crisis, children eligible for free school meals will benefit from a national voucher scheme allowing them to continue to access meals whilst they stay at home. Your children's school should contact you about this if you are eligible.
Referral agencies
Crisis Support: Freephone 0800 4561673 (Mon-Fri, 9am-5.30pm)
Once you have a been given a food voucher by one of our referrers, bring it to a distribution centre within 7 days
Distribution Centres
Your referrer will tell you about our distribution times and locations. Your visit is treated as confidential, and food bags do not have any foodbank markings etc.
Telephone: 01582 548360
Time: Monday, 11am-1pm
Cut-off time for same-day referral to Marsh Farm is 10am. We cannot guarantee to honour referrals taking place after 10am on the same day, because the voucher will not have been processed before the van leaves our warehouse.
Telephone: 01582 410333
Time: Tuesday, 1.30pm-3.30pm
Cut-off time for same-day referral to Dallow is 12.30pm. We cannot guarantee to honour referrals taking place after 12.30pm on the same day, because the voucher will not have been processed before the van leaves our warehouse.
(Pedestrian entrance: Taylor Street. Accessible & vehicle entrance: York Street.)
Telephone: 01582 419548
Time: Wednesday, 1pm-3pm
Cut-off time for same-day referral to High Town on Wednesday is 12 midday. We cannot guarantee to honour referrals taking place after 12 noon on the same day, because the voucher will not have been processed before the van leaves our warehouse
(Pedestrian entrance: Taylor Street. Accessible & vehicle entrance: York Street.)
Telephone: 01582 419548
Time: Thursday, 1pm-3pm
Cut-off time for same-day referral to High Town on Thursday is 12 midday. We cannot guarantee to honour referrals taking place after 12 noon on the same day, because the voucher will not have been processed before the van leaves our warehouse
(Pedestrian entrance: Taylor Street. Accessible & vehicle entrance: York Street.)
Telephone: 01582 419548
Time: Friday, 1pm-3pm
Cut-off time for same-day referral to High Town on Thursday is 12 midday. We cannot guarantee to honour referrals taking place after 12 noon on the same day, because the voucher will not have been processed before the van leaves our warehouse.
Important changes due to Coronavirus COVID-19
YOU MUST NOT try to collect food yourself if you are supposed to be self isolating.
• Please arrange to have a friend or relative collect for you (with
a permission letter from you).
• If this is impossible, please ask your referrer about alternative
arrangements.
YOU MUST strictly observe hygiene and social-distancing rules.
• Only ONE person per voucher may attend distribution. (Bring suitcase/trolley if no transport)
• Do NOT touch our staff or approach within 2 metres (about the
length of a bed). You should not touch or approach anybody.
• Catch coughs and sneezes in a tissue or with your inner elbow
– NOT your hands.
• Wash your hands often and well with soap and hot water
Food parcels will be given out from our van instead of indoors.
•The van will be parked at the usual distribution buildings.
•Please be patient while waiting for your turn to be served.
Our volunteers are there to help you and many others
Please do not put them at unnecessary risk
Get advice
If you’re facing a crisis, and need support with food, please contact us.
- advisors@lutonfoodbank.org.uk
- 01582 725838 (Mon-Fri, 9am-4pm)
If you email or leave us a message, we will get back to you within 3 to 5 days, if we are unable to get through at the first attempt, we'll be sure to try again later.
For advice on other matters, please click the appropriate issue below.
Website: lutonrights.org
Service: They provide confidential and impartial advice, free of charge.
Appointments: These are arranged through Citizens Advice - call 0808 278 7847 (See Citizens Advice website for times.)
Service: A team set up by Citizens Advice to help with claiming Universal Credit for the first time.
Phone: 0800 144 8444
Online: Web chat
Website: lutonlawcentre.org.uk
Service: Free and confidential legal advice on housing issues
Phone: 01582 481 000 (Tue and Thu, 10.30am-12.30pm)
Appointments: These are arranged through Citizens Advice - call 0808 278 7847 (See Citizens Advice website for times.)
If you are homeless or about to be made homeless, contact Luton Borough Council Homeless Prevention Team on 01582 510371
Website: lutonlawcentre.org.uk
Service: Free and confidential legal advice on immigration issues and asylum claims
Phone: 01582 481 000 (Tue 10am-4pm, Fri 10am-midday)
Appointments: These are arranged through Citizens Advice - call 0808 278 7847 (See Citizens Advice website for times.)
Website: owensolicitors.com
Appointments: These are arranged through Citizens Advice - call 0808 278 7847 (See Citizens Advice website for times.)
Try a Google search, or you can contact our advisors for a list. Email info@lutonfoodbank.org.uk
Website: citizensadvice.org.uk
Phone: 0808 278 7847 (See Citizens Advice website for times.)
Service: Acas (Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service) gives employees and employers free and impartial advice on workplace rights, rules, and best practice.
Website: acas.org.uk
- Its team of specialist debt advisers can take you through income maximisation, advice on debts, and help find what debt options are available to you.
- Citizens Advice Luton can contact creditors on your behalf, and give ongoing support.
For an initial assessment, and to discuss next steps:
-
Face to face Monday to Friday, 9am-12pm at Community House, 15 New Bedford Road, Luton, LU1 1SA
Website: citizensadviceluton.org.uk
- Offers a debt-resolution service
- Users complete a form detailing all their income and expenditure
- StepChange uses this information to recommend an action plan
- StepChange can contact companies you owe money to and negotiate manageable repayments
- Manageable repayments are collected from you by StepChange, which disperses the money to all the companies concerned
Website: stepchange.org
Website: nationaldebtline.org
Phone: 0808 808 4000
Online: Web chat (Mon-Friday 9am-8pm, Sat 9.30am-1pm)
Website: salvationarmy.org.uk
Phone: 01582 343699
If debt is causing you problems, or if you think it's about to, ACT NOW before things get worse.
Phone: 0808 2000 247
Website: nationaldahelpline.org.uk
Luton All Women’s Centre website: lutonallwomenscentre.org.uk
Stepping Stone Luton website: steppingstonesluton.co.uk
Silent Solution
The emergency procedure you should learn BEFORE you need it.- Set up and funded by the Government using taxes on financial services
- Online tools, including mortgage calculators and a budget planner
- Letter templates
- Guidebooks an a range of money topics
- Interactive timeline to help predict the financial impact of having a baby
- Live chat
Website: moneyadviceservice.org.uk
- Certain people on Working Tax Credit or Universal Credit can get a bonus of 50p for every £1 they save.