North Bristol & South Glos Foodbank

What North Bristol & South Glos Foodbank does

North Bristol & South Glos Foodbank is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO, charity number 1195058) that provides three-day nutritionally balanced emergency food parcels and wraparound support to individuals and families in financial crisis across North Bristol and South Gloucestershire. Founded in 2012 by Filton Community Church and Ebenezer Church in Horfield and Filton, the organisation merged with Yate and Chipping Sodbury Foodbank in 2019 and now operates nine community outlets sited in church and community venues across the region, staffed by 15 paid employees and 270+ volunteers. Access is gated by an electronic voucher-based referral system through authorised partner agencies including Citizens Advice, social workers, GPs, schools, and housing associations, with clients receiving SMS notifications for parcel collection.

The organisation's product portfolio has evolved beyond emergency food distribution to include The Bridge Food Project (a 2024-launched food club in Lockleaze offering low-cost food and wraparound support), Financial Inclusion Services delivered through embedded Citizens Advice advisors, pet food support, and an emerging Community Connect Spaces initiative. Underlying technology is limited to the electronic voucher system with SMS notifications and standard productivity tooling; no proprietary AI/ML, application layer, or external API surface is in evidence. The Trussell Trust national network affiliation provides brand, advocacy, and supply infrastructure that the organisation leverages but does not control.

The revenue model is purely philanthropic: food donations (including 20% of stock purchased in 2023-24 to meet rising demand), monetary donations from individuals and businesses, corporate partnerships with Tesco and Asda for bulk donations, and volunteer labour. No fees are charged to beneficiaries. Funding signals, investor structure, and financial revenue are not publicly disclosed. In 2024, the organisation distributed 16,111 emergency food parcels (8% growth year-over-year), 139 tonnes of food, and helped unlock £419,453 of additional income for clients in crisis via its advice partners.

Name

North Bristol & South Glos Foodbank

Legal name

North Bristol and South Gloucestershire Foodbank CIO

Website

https://nbsg.foodbank.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

North Bristol & South Glos Foodbank is a UK Charitable Incorporated Organisation operating nine community outlets across North Bristol and South Gloucestershire, providing three-day emergency food parcels, financial inclusion advice, and the Bridge Food Project to individuals and families in crisis, supported by 270+ volunteers and part of the Trussell Trust network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Food Bank Services

NAICS

Community Food Services (62421), Community Food and Housing, and Emergency and Other Relief Services (6242)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAGAEAA

Food Assistance & Food Banks

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Social Services & Community Support (Food, Housing, Family)

SECONDARYBPAGAAAD

Food Assistance & Nutrition Relief (Emergency Feeding)

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Humanitarian Aid & Disaster Relief

Keywords

• Emergency food assistance
• Food bank services
• Community food support
• Food donation collection
• Charitable hunger relief

Headquarters

HQ city

Bristol

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices9 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Food Donations: Community donations of non-perishable food items collected from schools, churches, businesses, and supermarket collection points. In 2023-2024, 20% of stock was purchased to meet rising demand.
2. Financial Donations: Monetary donations from individuals and businesses to support operational costs, purchase fresh food items, and fund financial inclusion advisors.
3. Corporate Food Partnerships: Partnerships with Tesco and Asda for bulk food donations, supplemented by targeted fresh food initiatives.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

North Bristol & South Glos Foodbank provides three days' nutritionally balanced emergency food parcels to local people referred in crisis, distributed across nine community outlets in North Bristol and South Gloucestershire. Access is gated by an electronic voucher system issued by authorized referral partners, with SMS notification for parcel collection. Complementary services include on-site Citizens Advice financial inclusion advisors, pet food support, and The Bridge Food Project food club for low-cost shopping with wraparound support.

Product overview

North Bristol & South Glos Foodbank is a charitable organization providing a unified set of emergency food support services rather than a technology product portfolio. The core offering consists of emergency food parcels (three days' nutritionally balanced food) distributed through nine community outlets across North Bristol and South Gloucestershire, accessed via a voucher-based referral system. Additional services include The Bridge Food Project (a food club launched in 2024 offering low-cost food with wraparound support), financial inclusion services through Citizens Advice partnerships, pet food support, and food donation collection. The organization operates as part of the Trussell Foodbank Network and is transitioning outlets into community hubs that extend beyond emergency food to offer advice, workshops, and support services. Services are funded through food donations, financial donations, and 270+ volunteers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Bridge Food Project: A food club offering low-cost food shopping plus access to advice, launched in 2024 to help people transition into independence

Quantifiable outcome

• 8% increase in emergency food parcels (14,858 to 16,111) in 2024 despite national decrease
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• The Bridge Food ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Food club initiative launched in 2024 at Lockleaze, offering wraparound support to help people transition into independence beyond emergency food provision.
• Fareshare SouthwestcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2013Food redistribution charity partnered with Trussell under the '5k Partnership' to source surplus food for food banks across the region.
• Trussell TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2012National food bank network providing over 1,400 food bank centres. NBSG is part of this network, sharing data, best practices, and participating in national advocacy campaigns. Trussell supports with resources, training, and policy work to end the need for food banks.
• Ebenezer ChurchcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2012Co-founding church partner that hosts the main food bank office at their Horfield location. Provides venue and volunteer support for food bank operations.
• Filton Community ChurchcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2012Co-founding church partner involved in establishing the original North Bristol Foodbank in 2012.
• TescomajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor retailer providing bulk food donations to help meet rising demand. Part of corporate partnership network supporting food bank stock levels.
• AsdamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRetail partner providing bulk food donations and supporting food bank operations through corporate giving programs.
• Citizens AdvicecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFinancial Inclusion partnership places Citizens Advice advisors at food bank centres. They help clients secure additional income through benefit corrections and grants, securing £139,268+ annually for clients.
• The Ardagh Community TrustminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal charity managing community sports and leisure facility at Horfield Common. Partners to provide fresh vegetables grown on-site to families in need through Family Food Action.
• Local Churches NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with local churches across North Bristol and South Gloucestershire provides venues for 9 food bank outlets. Food bank is run in partnership with local churches.
• Feeding BristolmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCity-wide charity tackling food insecurity and childhood hunger. Works to increase access to nutritious food through network of food clubs, community kitchens, and holiday meal projects.
• Schools and Educational InstitutionsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducational partners that donate non-perishable items and serve as referral points for families in need.
• Local Housing AssociationsmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHousing association partners that refer residents in housing difficulty to food bank services as part of holistic tenant support.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves14 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Feeding America: US national network of 200+ food banks and the largest domestic hunger-relief organization in America. Comparable as a broad umbrella network of affiliated/independent food banks distributing donated food through frontline charity partners.
• The Trussell Trust: National umbrella network of 1,400+ UK food banks of which NBSG is a member. Comparable as the coordinating body sharing data, advocacy, and best practice across UK emergency food provision; broader scope but directly analogous mission and operating model.
• Independent Food Aid Network (IFAN): UK umbrella network for independent food banks operating outside the Trussell Trust network. Comparable as an advocacy and coordination body for emergency food providers addressing similar beneficiary and operational challenges.

Regional players

• Feeding Bristol: City-wide Bristol charity tackling food insecurity and childhood hunger through food clubs, community kitchens, and holiday meal projects. Direct local peer operating in the same geography with overlapping beneficiaries and partner network.

Direct peers

• FareShare: UK food redistribution charity that supplies surplus food to frontline charities including food banks. Directly comparable as a fellow anti-hunger nonprofit operating a logistics-heavy food redistribution model with corporate partnerships (supermarkets, manufacturers).
• Hackney Foodbank: London-based Trussell Trust-affiliated food bank operating a multi-outlet referral-based emergency food parcel model. Closely comparable in operating model, governance structure, and beneficiary support approach to NBSG.
• The Felix Project: London-based food redistribution charity delivering surplus food to frontline organizations including food banks. Comparable operating model: surplus food sourcing, volunteer-driven logistics, partnership with corporate donors, and free distribution to people in food poverty.
• FareShare Southwest: Regional arm of FareShare and an active partner of NBSG under the '5k Partnership'. Comparable as a food redistribution charity operating in the same South West region with overlapping supply and beneficiary networks.
• FoodCycle: UK charity combining surplus food with volunteers to serve community meals to people in food poverty. Comparable volunteer-led, donation-funded, community-meal delivery model with similar mission of addressing food insecurity.
• City Harvest London: London food redistribution charity rescuing surplus food and delivering it to charities serving people in need. Comparable model of corporate-donor-sourced food supply and downstream charity distribution.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/nbsgfoodbank
• Facebookfacebook.com/NBSGFoodbank
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/north-bristol-foodbank
• Instagraminstagram.com/nbsgfoodbank

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

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 North Bristol & South Glos Foodbank