Leeds North & West Foodbank

What Leeds North & West Foodbank does

Leeds North & West Foodbank is a registered charity (charity number 1162983) founded in 2013 in Moortown, Leeds, providing emergency food assistance to individuals and families in financial crisis across North and West Leeds. It is part of The Trussell Trust network of 428 foodbanks across the UK and operates on a community-led model: clients cannot walk in directly but must obtain a voucher from a referral agency such as Citizens Advice, housing support officers, children's centres, health visitors, social services or local charities, then redeem it at one of eight distribution centres spread across Moortown, Woodhouse, Ireland Wood, Burley, Armley, Bramley, Farnley & Wortley, and Redshaw Road. A twice-weekly home delivery service covers areas where centres are not yet open and serves clients with mobility constraints.

The core product is a three-day emergency food parcel of nutritionally balanced, non-perishable items, with dietary adaptations for gluten-free, halal, vegetarian, and diabetic needs, plus signposting to longer-term support services under the More Than Food programme. Food is sourced overwhelmingly (over 90%) through public donations via supermarket collection points at Tesco, Asda, Waitrose, Sainsbury's, Lidl, Co-op, and Virgin Money, supplemented by an online food shop, the Bankuet wholesale purchasing platform, and corporate partnerships (notably IFCO, Cummins, and Asda). Operations run on volunteer labour — approximately 240 volunteers supported by a small core staff team under CEO Karen Burgon — with a warehouse at Unit 3.3 Flexspace, Burley Hill, used for sorting and storage. Technology is minimal and non-proprietary: embedded Google Maps, Google Analytics, and third-party apps (Bank the Food, Give as You Live, Bankuet).

The revenue model is donation-based rather than commercial. Monetary inflows come from regular and one-off donations through Give as You Live, standing orders, BACS transfers, cheques, legacy gifts, corporate sponsorship, and event fundraising (Rob Burrows Marathon, Leeds Festival AIR Hub). Services are entirely free to recipients, so there is no pricing model and no revenue per user. The charity has been compelled to purchase up to £3,000 of food stock weekly as donations have not kept pace with demand, reflecting a 14.6% year-on-year rise in parcels distributed to 18,344 in 2024-2025, of which 6,352 went to children.

Name

Leeds North & West Foodbank

Legal name

Leeds North and West Foodbank

Website

https://leedsnorthandwest.foodbank.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Leeds North & West Foodbank is a registered charity in Leeds, UK, part of The Trussell Trust network, providing three-day emergency food parcels to individuals and families in crisis across North and West Leeds via eight distribution centres, a voucher referral system, and 240 volunteers led by CEO Karen Burgon.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Charitable Emergency Food Assistance

NAICS

Community Food Services (62421)

akta.pro primary industry

Food Assistance & Food Banks (BPAGAEAA)

Keywords

• Emergency food assistance
• Food bank services
• Charitable food distribution
• Community food support
• Hunger relief services

Headquarters

HQ city

Leeds

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices10 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Food Donations: Over 90% of food distributed is donated by the public through supermarket collections, schools, churches, businesses, and individuals. Food is sorted and stored at the warehouse for distribution.
2. Financial Donations: Regular and one-off monetary donations through Give as You Live platform, Bankuet for bulk food purchasing, standing orders, BACS transfers, cheques, and legacy gifts. Virgin Money account for direct donations.
3. Corporate Partnerships: Business partnerships including volunteering days, food drives, equipment sponsorship, and workplace fundraising. Partners include IFCO and Cummins.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Leeds North & West Foodbank provides three days of nutritionally balanced, non-perishable emergency food to individuals and families in crisis across North and West Leeds. Food parcels are distributed through a voucher referral system involving local partner agencies, supplemented by a home delivery service for those unable to visit the eight distribution centres. Beyond emergency food, the charity runs donation collection, volunteer engagement, corporate partnerships, and signposting to wider support services as part of the Trussell Trust's 'More Than Food' approach.

Product overview

Leeds North & West Foodbank operates as a charitable emergency food assistance organisation, providing a unified service centered on emergency food parcel distribution to local people in crisis across North and West Leeds. The service is delivered through a network of eight physical distribution centres, a voucher referral system, and a food donation collection programme. The organisation's offering integrates donation processing (via Give as You Live and Bankuet), an online food shop, volunteer management, corporate partnerships, and charity event fundraising. Key services include the emergency food parcel (three days of nutritionally balanced food), the voucher referral pathway, food donation collection from supermarkets, volunteer engagement, and financial donation processing. The foodbank also provides More Than Food support services including advice and signposting to help people move out of crisis.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Emergency Food Parcel Distribution Three days of nutritionally balanced, non-perishable emergency food provided to individuals and families in crisis. Distributed at no cost via valid foodbank vouchers issued by referral agencies. Includes dietary adaptations for gluten-free, halal, vegetarian, and diabetic requirements, plus nappies and baby foods where needed.
• Foodbank Distribution Centres Eight physical collection points across North and West Leeds (Moortown, Woodhouse, Ireland Wood, Burley, Armley, Bramley, Farnley & Wortley, Redshaw Road) operating on different weekdays, where clients redeem vouchers for emergency food parcels.
• Voucher Referral System

Quantifiable outcome

• 34% of food parcels go to children, indicating family-focused support
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• AsdaminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 July 2019Through the 'Fight Hunger Create Change' programme, Asda provides funding that has enabled new roles at the foodbank. Asda Pudsey store's community champion supports volunteer collections.
• IFCOminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCorporate partner supporting the foodbank. IFCO is a containers and packaging company that partners with Trussell Trust foodbanks for operational support.
• CumminsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCorporate partner supporting the foodbank. Cummins is an engineering and power systems company that supports Trussell Trust foodbanks through corporate partnerships.
• The Trussell TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational charity supporting communities and churches to open foodbanks across the UK. Leeds North & West Foodbank is part of the Trussell Trust network of 428 foodbanks. The Trust provides resources, training, campaigns, and strategic support including the More Than Food programme to help people out of crisis.
• Citizens AdvicecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorKey referral partner issuing foodbank vouchers to people in crisis. Also provides the national Help Through Hardship helpline (0808 2082138) for those needing food bank support.
• Local Referral AgenciescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNetwork of care professionals including housing support officers, children's centres, health visitors, social services, and local charities who identify people in crisis and issue foodbank vouchers.
• Give as You LiveminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFundraising platform used for online donations, both regular and one-off gifts, to support the foodbank's operations.
• BankuetminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPlatform enabling supporters to donate money directly for bulk food purchasing at wholesale prices, with delivery to the foodbank warehouse.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Magic Breakfast: UK charity providing healthy breakfasts to children at school. Addresses overlapping child food-insecurity concerns (34% of Leeds North & West beneficiaries are children) and shares the donor/supporter base of large UK anti-hunger charities.
• FareShare: UK charity redistributing surplus food from the food industry to community organisations including foodbanks. Operates upstream of Leeds North & West in the same anti-food-poverty supply chain and shares the Trussell Trust ecosystem partners.
• The Felix Project: London-based food redistribution charity that rescues surplus food and redistributes it to charities and schools. Comparable as a complementary anti-hunger operator addressing food insecurity through a different (surplus-redistribution) model.
• FoodCycle: UK charity combining surplus food with community volunteers to serve free hot meals. Overlaps with Leeds North & West's mission of addressing food insecurity in low-income communities, though through a community-meals model rather than parcel distribution.

Broad incumbents

• The Trussell Trust: National charity that supports a network of 428 UK foodbanks including Leeds North & West. Directly comparable as the umbrella body providing operational standards, training, campaigning, and strategic direction for the same foodbank model.

Others

• Independent Food Aid Network (IFAN): Umbrella body representing independent (non-Trussell Trust) food banks across the UK. Comparable as an alternative organising model and thought leader in the food aid sector — relevant for benchmarking against Leeds North & West's Trussell-affiliated approach.

Direct peers

• Bradford Foodbank: Another Trussell Trust foodbank serving a nearby West Yorkshire city with comparable parcel volumes and demographic profile. Closely aligned operating model, referral network, and donor base.
• Leeds South & East Foodbank: Sister Trussell Trust foodbank covering the other half of Leeds. Operates the same voucher-referral emergency food model with the same parcel standards, making it the most direct operational peer and the natural comparison for catchment-scale performance.

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks2 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/NW_leedsfood
• Facebookfacebook.com/leedsnorthandwestfoodbank
• Instagraminstagram.com/leeds_north_and_west_foodbank
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/leeds-north-and-west-foodbank

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Leeds North & West Foodbank