Needed items
Food drives
Impact Report
Colour Run pics
Luton Foodbank Newsletter: June/July 2026
Bringing you exciting events, community updates, and ways to get involved.
A massive hello to all our wonderful supporters! June and July have been incredibly busy months here at Luton Foodbank. As we head into the summer holidays, we want to share these amazing highlights with you—and provide a vital reminder about our summer support for local families.
Contents
National Landscape & Local Reality: A New Wave of Pressures
The economic landscape remains deeply challenging for families across the UK.
- Persistent Hardship: According to recent UK-wide data, food insecurity remains high, with 15% of households with children experiencing food insecurity.
- Families Hit Hardest: National research highlights that families with children continue to bear the heaviest burden, receiving roughly 62% of all emergency food parcels distributed by foodbanks.
- The Essentials Gap: Lower-income families continue to face severe hardship; with many reporting they have had to skip meals or cut down on portion sizes just to get by.
What This Means for Luton
In Luton, high utility bills and housing costs mean many local families are living on a knife-edge. We continue to experience high demand at our distribution points, particularly from working families whose wages simply aren’t keeping pace with the cost of basic essentials.
June at a Glance: Our Impact
As life remains incredibly tough for many in our town, your support directly impacts local lives. Here is a snapshot of our reach over the last two months:
- Total households helped: 1399
- Total adults supported: 1013
- Total children supported: 386
- Information & Signpost Advisor (ISA) support: 114
Colour Run 2026: £18,000 Raised!
Our annual 5k Charity Colour Run in Wardown Park on Saturday 4th July was an absolute triumph! We were blown away to have over 500 runners lace up and get messy, raising a staggering £18,000!
This landmark event was made possible thanks to our wonderful headline event sponsors, Electrolux and Luton Rising, alongside our brilliant media partner Inspire FM.
We also want to say a huge thank you to our vibrant Colour Station Sponsors who kept our runners covered in bright powder throughout the course:
- Gold Sponsor: Veezu
- Silver Sponsors: Barclays, and M&K Solicitors
- Bronze Sponsors: Delicious Desserts & Green Bridge Housing
Every single penny raised will go directly toward purchasing emergency food supplies for those in our town who need it most.
Primary School Colour Runs Wrap Up
Our local primary schools kicked off our summer events in spectacular fashion. The kids brought sheer energy, laughter, and a lot of paint to their sponsored Colour Runs on school grounds.
Our Primary Schools Colour Run was proudly sponsored by Luton Rising, helping us keep the kids active while raising essential funds.
Here is the incredible total raised by our primary schools so far:
- Wenlock CofE Primary School: £1,172.94
- Bushmead Primary School: £1,079.00
- Warden Hill Junior School: £632.00
- Beech Hill Primary School: £106.00
- Current Total Raised: £2,989.94
We are also eagerly awaiting final details from several other fantastic schools who ran their hearts out for us:
- Chantry Primary Academy
- Crawley Green Infant School
- Farley Junior School
- Beechwood Primary School
We will share their totals as soon as they come in. A massive thank you to all the pupils, teachers, and parents who took part.
Young Ambassadors Programme
On 9th July, we held our latest Young Ambassadors event. Through our Young Ambassadors Programme—which is kindly sponsored by London Luton Airport—local students gain leadership skills, confidence, and a sense of community.
It was inspiring to see so many passionate young people from across Luton coming together to discuss social action, tackle the stigma surrounding food poverty, and brainstorm creative ways to advocate for their peers. The future of our community’s charity sector is in very bright hands!
Championing Our Community: Thank You Garden Party
Our volunteers are the beating heart of Luton Foodbank—without you, we simply could not exist.
To say a proper thank you, we hosted our annual Thank You Garden Party in the gorgeous Luton Hoo Walled Gardens Conservatory, which was incredibly provided to us in kind. The entire afternoon was a collaborative gift from our wonderful community partners:
- Atrumed Healthcare generously sponsored and provided all the delicious food.
- Eastern Touch beautifully dressed the venue with stunning décor.
- The Meerkats Band set the perfect mood by performing live, free.
- Active Luton and Electrolux donated lovely gifts for raffle prizes.
It was a beautiful, sunny afternoon of well-deserved relaxation, cake, and celebration for the people who keep our warehouse and distribution points running day in and day out. Thank you to everyone who made it so special.
Thanks to Vasile Burla for taking photographs on the day.
Beyond Emergency Support
Luton Food Club
We don’t just hand out food; we want to help our clients build long-term resilience. Our Luton Food Club model continues to provide sustainable, low-cost weekly groceries to members, helping bridge the gap between emergency crisis and financial independence.
We have been busy spreading the word about this brilliant scheme across town, ensuring that those who are ready to transition away from emergency parcels know exactly where to find us.
Building Crisis Resilience: Energy & Essential Skills
Alongside food support, we believe in giving people practical tools to manage household budgets. Our Essential Skills Workshops have been running throughout June and July, offering specialised sessions focused on energy saving, budget cooking, and building personal crisis resilience.
Out and About: Careers & Learning Events
Our outreach team has been actively engaging with the next generation and adult learners across the borough:
- Luton Sixth Form Careers Event: We spoke with inspiring young students about pathways into the charity sector, the value of local volunteering, and how they can support our mission.
- Luton Adult Learning Event: We connected with adult learners to share information on our services, promote our Essential Skills workshops, and signpost individuals to our partner advice networks.
Case Study: Sarah’s Story
For many parents, the school holidays bring a quiet dread. This is how your support makes a real-life difference.
“I didn’t know how I was going to manage.”
Sarah is a single mother of two school-aged children living in Luton. She works part-time as a lunchtime supervisor, but during the six-week summer break, her income drops significantly, and her children lose access to their free school meals.
“Normally, the school holidays are something to look forward to, but for me, they just meant extra meals to find and higher utility bills with the kids at home all day,” Sarah explains. “By mid-July, after paying rent and bills, I had less than £10 left for the weekly shop. I was skipping meals so my kids could eat, but I was running out of options.”
A local family worker referred Sarah to Luton Foodbank. Thanks to our donors, we were able to provide her with emergency food parcels tailored for a family, including fresh fruit, vegetables, and cupboard essentials. We also introduced her to the Luton Food Club, where she can now access low-cost weekly groceries in a supportive, community environment.
“Walking into the foodbank, I was so embarrassed, but the volunteers made me feel so welcome and respected,” Sarah says. “The food parcels took an enormous weight off my shoulders. It meant my children could have a normal, happy summer holiday without hearing my stomach rumble. I honestly don’t know how we would have survived the summer without them.”
Important Summer Holiday Reminder: Activities and Food Support for Families
The six-week school summer holidays should be a time of fun, but for families struggling to make ends meet, the loss of free school meals can bring immense financial pressure.
If you are a parent or carer struggling to feed or entertain your children this summer, please know you are not alone. There are fantastic programs running across Luton, and we are here to support you.
Free Holiday Activities & Food (HAF) for Eligible Children
If your child is of school age (Reception to Year 11) and receives benefits-related free school meals, they are eligible for free holiday activity sessions.
Under Luton’s HAF / Energise Luton program, kids can enjoy multi-sports, swimming, arts, crafts, and drama. Every single session includes a free, healthy, hot lunch.
- How to register: To book, you will need a unique “FSM code” from your child’s school.
- Find a local camp, & book: Visit the Luton Council HAF Programme page to search available sessions and secure your child’s spot.
Struggling but NOT on Free School Meals?
We know that many working families are living on a knife-edge and do not qualify for government-funded free school meals, yet still desperately need support. If you are struggling, please contact us.
We want to make sure no child in our town goes hungry. Luton Foodbank can provide you with emergency food parcels and connect you with local support networks.
- How to reach us: If you need emergency help, contact us directly on 01582 725838, or email us at [email protected].
- How to get a referral & immediate support: Visit our Get Food page to see how to get a referral voucher, or call us or drop in to one of our signposting partners to get immediate, confidential support.
Please don’t wait until things are critical—reach out today. No-one in our town should have to go hungry.
Food collections
We have food collections scheduled from 9am to 3pm on
- Saturday 18th July
- Saturday 1st August
- Saturday 15th August
Check needed items here, or keep up to date with our latest needs with the BankTheFood mobile app.
Thank you, Luton, for your endless generosity.
Let’s keep working together to support our neighbours this summer!
Make a Donation
Help fund essential food parcels for individuals and families in crisis: Donate Here.
Volunteering
Join our amazing team of volunteers and make a real difference in your community: Sign up to Volunteer
Boost your Business while Giving Back to the Community
Partner with us to create lasting impact through sponsorship or corporate support: Learn More
Together, we can help ensure that no one in Luton goes hungry.
Thank You
Thank you for standing with us in the fight against food poverty. Every act of kindness brings us closer to a hunger-free Luton.