How and why we started

Our History

In 2012 groups in the community agencies came together to look at rising food insecurity within Bassetlaw. It was becoming evident  that more people had to rely on food banks to prevent hunger. The response to this was to open Bassetlaw Food Bank.

Food Insecurity

Sadly hundreds of people across Bassetlaw are finding it impossible to make ends meet. Many suffer in silence, too embarrassed to speak to anyone, instead skipping meals as a result. In 2019 we supported over 1,700 households with emergency food parcels. We know this is a fraction of those in need.

There is no single reason why people find themselves experiencing food insecurity. Redundancy, illness, benefit delays, debt, zero-hours contracts, welfare reform and domestic violence are just some of the reasons why people, many of whom are families with children, are referred to us. The COVID-19 Pandemic has only made things more difficult. More households are turning to food banks, including many who have never needed to before.