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Luton Foodbank Newsletter – April 2025
Luton Foodbank Newsletter – April 2025
Ensuring No-one Goes Hungry in Our Town
Recent Highlights
Thanks to your generosity, we provided 1,165 parcels in March, with each parcel containing three days' worth of food. This ensured that families in need continued to receive vital support.
In March, we provided support to families and individuals from all 20 wards across Luton, expanding our reach to assist even more people in need.
Your kindness truly makes a difference! March saw an increase in donations, totalling to 13,818 items. Among these, Masjid Ali made a significant contribution of 5,000 items as part of their Ramadan food drive. Every contribution helps us fight food poverty—thank you for being part of this vital mission!
Meet Runi – Our New Advisor
We’re delighted to introduce Runi, our new advisor funded by the Utilita-Auriga project. Runi will be supporting Luton residents experiencing food and fuel poverty. This project aims to empower individuals and families in crisis by providing tailored support and connecting them with essential services.
Runi will also be working with four other organisations to develop new strategies to combat poverty more effectively. She will provide personalised guidance, connect clients with vital resources, and advocate for those in need within our community.
If you need advice, visit: Get Advice
Ramadan Packs – A Huge Thank You!
Thanks to the generous support of Muslim Aid and Islamic Relief, we distributed 200 Ramadan packs through Discover Islam for schools to give to families in need.
Schools that supported:
- Beech Hill Primary
- Beechwood Primary
- Chantry Primary Academy
- Dallow Primary
- Denbigh Primary
- Downside Primary
- Farley Junior
- Ferrars Juniors
- Foxdell Primary
- Lady Zia Werner
- Maidenhall Primary
- Riverbank Primary
- Southfield Primary
- St Matthews
- The Linden Academy Primary
- The Meads Primary
- Whitefield Primary
- William Austin Junior
Let’s Eat Together – Thank You to Our Schools!
A massive thank you to the schools that participated in our ‘Let’s Eat Together’ initiative. This helped raise over £10,000, allowing us to purchase essential food items.
- Challney High School for Boys
- Challney High School for Girls
- Chiltern Academy
- Dallow Primary School
- Denbigh High School
- Icknield High School
- Lealands High School
- Lea Manor High School
- Luton Sixth Form College
- Putteridge High School
- The Chalk Hills Academy
- The Stockwood Academy
- Wigmore Primary
We also extend our gratitude to Inspire FM for hosting The Big Iftar and Madinah Masjid for their invaluable support.
Ramadan Challenge Success!
Our 24-Hour Ramadan Sleep-Out raised an incredible £15,000!
Imam Chishti MBE, on behalf of Jamia Ghousia Islamia Trust and Bismillah Charity, donated £1,000 towards the Ramadan Challenge as a token of appreciation for all the participants who made such a great effort to raise awareness and funds for Luton Foodbank.
A huge thanks to our amazing participants:
- Attiq Malik
- Bilal Hussain
- Jafer Raza
- Kamrul Haque
- Mohammed Tariq
- Sekanda Nasar
- Sufian Sadiq
- Zeeshan Khan
Lent Challenge (5 March - 17 April)
A heartfelt thank you to all the churches and individuals supporting our Lent Challenge this year! Your kindness and generosity make a real difference in the lives of those in need in Luton. By donating food and funds, you show incredible compassion and help provide essential support for families facing difficult times. We are deeply grateful for the efforts of everyone involved, your contributions truly make an impact. Thank you for standing with us to support our community during this season of giving.
Every Child Smiles
We were able to provide 500 gifts and ride tokens for Inspire Eid to disadvantaged families, thanks to Islamic Relief. We also partnered with 1Eid, which provided 100 meals and ride tokens.
Jamie's London Marathon
Jamie Pardon, Director of Education at Pioneer Learning Trust, has been training hard to raise awareness and funds for Luton Foodbank. She will be running the London Marathon on April 27, 2025. Please donate generously to help her reach her target!
Looking Ahead
Essential Skills Course – Empowering Education
Join our free skills workshop to learn essential life skills!
Start Date: April 16th, 12:30 – 1:30 PM
Venue: Empowering Education, Dallow Rd
More info: Click here
Topics Covered:
- Managing your money
- Shopping smart
- Cooking on a budget
- Growing your own food
- Looking after your health & well-being
- Preparing for winter
Food Club
We are piloting a Food Club to support families struggling on low incomes but not entitled to benefits.
Contribute £5 and receive 15 items from a selection of 25!
If you know any families who could benefit, please get in touch at [email protected].
Primary Schools Colour Run (2 June - 13 June)
- Beech Hill Primary
- Beechwood Primary
- Bushmead Primary
- Chantry Primary Academy
- Crawley Green Infant School
- Downside Primary
- Farley Junior Academy
- Foxdell Primary
- Surrey St Primary School
- The Linden Academy Primary
- Warden Hill Junior School
Primary Schools Colour Run is sponsored by Luton Rising.
Young Ambassadors Programme
Our Young Ambassadors are making a real impact by:
- Raising awareness of food poverty
- Advocating for donations & volunteering
- Representing Luton Foodbank at events
- Fundraising for our services
Celebration Event: Luton Town FC, July 10th
More details
Already part of the programme? Don’t forget to register your school, especially the gold ambassadors, to ensure they receive an invitation to our celebration event on the 10th July at Luton Town Football Club:
Register here
Annual Colour Run - 5 July, 2025
Join us for Luton Foodbank’s Annual Colour Run at Wardown Park!
Date: Saturday, July 5th, 2025
Register by June 13th for a free t-shirt, sunglasses, and medal!
More info
School registrations: Click Here
This year's Colour Run is sponsored by VolkerHighways
Holiday Activities and Food
We’ve partnered with Active Luton to support families in need with Energise Camps this summer. If you know families that do not qualify and are in need of support please contact us at [email protected]
Supporting our work
Help for Your Families
If you work with families or individuals in need, contact us about becoming a referral partner.
Case Study: A Journey to Secure Housing
Rosie’s story
Business Support Companies
“We at Go Cars Taxi are proud to support Luton Foodbank by providing free deliveries. Additionally, we are one of their colour station sponsors for this year’s colour run. This is our way of contributing to the community and making a positive impact.”
– Go Cars Taxi
Boost Your Business While Giving Back to the Community
Looking to elevate your brand visibility and make a meaningful impact? Explore our range of exclusive sponsorship packages designed to benefit both your business and the community.
By becoming a sponsor, your business will enjoy premium exposure through prominent placements on our homepage and your logo featured in our digital newsletter, reaching a wide audience. Together, we can work towards ensuring that no one in our town goes hungry.
Sponsor Luton Foodbank
www.lutonfoodbank.org.uk/business-sponsorship/
Volunteer with us!
We often need more volunteers, so it doesn’t matter whether you can spare a couple of days a week or just a couple of hours.
Support Luton Foodbank: Make a Difference Today
Thank you for your continued support in the fight against food poverty. Together, we can make a difference!