Black Country Food Bank

What Black Country Food Bank does

Black Country Food Bank is a registered charity (Charity No. 1136676) operating in the Black Country region of the West Midlands, England. Founded in 2006 and headquartered in Brierley Hill, the organisation provides 3 days of emergency food supplies to vulnerable individuals and families in crisis. Services are accessed through a voucher-based referral system in which partner agencies such as churches, schools, and social services issue vouchers that recipients redeem at distribution centres. The charity operates its main warehouse (The Storehouse) in Brierley Hill and distribution centres in Dudley, Sandwell, Walsall, and Tipton, with a paid headcount of 1-10 supported by corporate and community volunteers.

The core product is the emergency food parcel, supplemented by ongoing community projects including Recipe Bags, Slow Cookers, Fresh Food Grants, The Village Kitchen Experiment, Safe Families, Healthwatch Dudley, and Dudley Young Health Champions. The organisation is funded through food donations from individuals, schools, churches, and corporate partners (Sainsbury's, Tesco Extra), monetary donations via JustGiving, and Gift Aid recovery on eligible contributions. Recognised with the Queen's Award for Voluntary Services in 2013 and operating under a 20-year anniversary campaign in 2026, the charity's stated mission is to feed local people in crisis while longer-term solutions are developed.

Name

Black Country Food Bank

Legal name

Black Country Food Bank

Website

https://blackcountryfoodbank.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Black Country Food Bank is a UK registered charity providing 3-day emergency food supplies to vulnerable individuals and families in crisis through a voucher-based referral system, operating distribution centres across Dudley, Sandwell, Walsall, and Tipton in the West Midlands.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Food Bank / Emergency Food Assistance

NAICS

Community Food Services (62421)

akta.pro primary industry

Food Assistance & Food Banks (BPAGAEAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Nutrition & Food Security (Global Health) NGOs (HLAJAKAH)

Keywords

• Emergency food assistance
• Food bank services
• Charity donation programs
• Voucher referral system
• Community crisis support

Headquarters

HQ city

Brierley Hill

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Food and Toiletry Donations: Receives donations of food and toiletries from individuals, schools, churches, and corporate partners which are distributed to those in crisis.
2. Financial Donations: Accepts monetary donations through JustGiving platform and other channels to support operational costs and food purchases.
3. Gift Aid: Claims Gift Aid on eligible donations from UK taxpayers, increasing the value of contributions by 25%.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Black Country Food Bank provides a 3-day emergency food supply to vulnerable individuals and families in crisis through a voucher-based referral system. Recipients are issued vouchers by referral agencies (such as churches, schools, and social services) and then collect food parcels from one of the charity's distribution centres in Dudley, Sandwell, Walsall, or Tipton. The charity also collects food and toiletry donations from the public and corporate partners to support its operations.

Product overview

Black Country Food Bank is a registered charity (No. 1136676) providing emergency food assistance to vulnerable individuals and families in crisis across Dudley, Sandwell, and Walsall. The core offering is a 3-day emergency food supply service distributed through a network of distribution centres, supported by a central warehouse (The Storehouse) in Brierley Hill. The food bank operates a voucher-based referral system where partner agencies issue vouchers to those in need. Beyond emergency food provision, the organization runs multiple community projects including Recipe Bags, Slow Cookers Project, Fresh Food Grants, Healthwatch Dudley, Dudley Young Health Champions, The Village Kitchen Experiment, and Safe Families partnerships. Additional services include volunteer programmes, corporate engagement opportunities, and financial donation options via JustGiving.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Emergency Food Supply Service Provision of a 3-day emergency food parcel to vulnerable individuals and families in crisis within the Black Country, free at the point of use. Recipients are referred via a voucher issued by a trusted local agency and collect from a distribution centre.
• Foodbank Voucher Referral System Structured referral process through which local partner agencies (churches, schools, GPs, social services) issue vouchers to people in crisis, enabling them to collect a 3-day food parcel from a Black Country Food Bank distribution centre.
• Food and Toiletry Donation Collection Receiving donated food and toiletry items from individuals, schools, churches, and corporate partners to supply the charity's distribution centres.
• Volunteer Programme Coordination of volunteers who sort donations, pack food parcels, and serve recipients at the charity's distribution centres across the Black Country.
• Corporate Engagement and Donations Engagement programme for local businesses and supermarkets to donate surplus food, funds, and volunteer teams to support the charity's work.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Loving Hands / NTCOG TiptoncoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 25 April 2018Loving Hands, NTCOG Tipton operates as a distribution centre location at 2 Horseley Heath, DY4 7SA, providing food bank services to the Tipton community every Wednesday 11am-2pm.
• Sainsbury'scoreGTM or Marketing PartnerSainsbury's stores (Sandringham Way, Brierley Hill and Reedswood, Walsall) host food collection drives. In May 2018, two sites collected 378Kgs of food and toiletries in a single event.
• Corporate Volunteers (Past Partners)supportingOthersVarious corporate organizations have conducted volunteering days at the Brierley Hill warehouse including Coventry Building Society, Costa Coffee, INTU Merry Hill, Interserve, Virgin Media, and AF Blakemore. Activities include sorting stock and stacking shelves.
• Tesco Extra WalsallcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Tesco Extra in Walsall for the Ablewell Advice Holiday/Lunch Club, providing lunch events for families during school summer breaks.
• Ablewell Advice WalsallcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization operating holiday lunch clubs in partnership with Tesco Extra, serving families who may find funds stretched without free school meals.
• JustGivingcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerOnline donation platform enabling financial contributions to the food bank. Donation link provided on website at checkout.justgiving.com/c/241570.
• Churches and SchoolscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorChurches and schools serve as referral partners issuing food bank vouchers and hosting food collection campaigns, particularly during Harvest Festival. Springs Church, Gornal collected 800Kgs in a community challenge.
• West Midlands PolicesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerKhizra Dindsa from West Midlands Police presented modern day slavery awareness training to food bank volunteers.
• Transforming Communities TogethersupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerJames Henderson from Transforming Communities Together presented modern day slavery awareness information to food bank volunteers.
• Mike Wood MPsupportingOthersMP arranged and attended a volunteer recognition evening at Westminster, celebrating hard work of volunteers in Dudley South.
• The Ridge Primary SchoolsupportingChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSchool council visited the warehouse and the school is planning to support BCFB over Harvest Time.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights8 records

Direct peers

• Trussell Trust: The UK's largest food bank network operating a voucher-based referral model very similar to Black Country Food Bank. Both rely on partner referral agencies issuing vouchers redeemable at distribution centres for emergency food parcels.
• FareShare: National food redistribution charity that sources surplus food and redistributes it to community organisations including food banks. Operates in the same UK food poverty space and shares the food bank supporter/donor base.
• City Harvest London: London food redistribution charity that rescues surplus food and delivers it free to charities serving people in need. Directly comparable to Black Country Food Bank's mission and donor/supporter ecosystem.
• FoodCycle: UK charity combining surplus food with volunteer power to serve community meals for people facing food poverty. Comparable grassroots, volunteer-led operating model and mission.
• The Felix Project: London-based food redistribution charity that collects surplus food and redistributes to frontline charities including food banks. Comparable mission, model and donor base.

Broad incumbents

• The Food Foundation: UK-wide charity focused on food poverty policy, research and advocacy. Operates more broadly in the same food security space as a strategic/ecosystem peer rather than direct service competitor.

Emerging players

• Your Local Pantry: Network of community-run pantries providing low-cost food and support to people on low incomes. Adjacent anti-food-poverty model sharing the same UK supporter base and referral partnerships.
• Independent Food Aid Network (IFAN): UK umbrella network of independent food banks that are not part of the Trussell Trust. Black Country Food Bank, as a long-established independent food bank, sits naturally within this peer set.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key highlights1 record

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/blackcountryfoodbank
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/black-country-foodbank
• Instagraminstagram.com/blackcountryfoodbank
• Xx.com/bcfoodbank

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Black Country Food Bank