Hillingdon

What Hillingdon does

Hillingdon Foodbank is a registered charity (charity number 1148148) based in the London Borough of Hillingdon, United Kingdom, that provides short-term emergency food assistance to individuals and families in crisis. Founded in 2009 as the first foodbank in London, the organisation operates a voucher referral system in which partner agencies such as Hillingdon Council, Citizens Advice, Jobcentres, health visitors, and social services issue vouchers that clients exchange for three-day, nutritionally balanced food parcels at one of several distribution centres across the borough. The charity accommodates special dietary requirements including gluten-free, halal, vegetarian, diabetic, and allergy-specific needs, and offers a home delivery service for clients unable to visit centres in person. It also distributes baby food and nappies and provides non-judgmental support at the point of crisis.

The organisation's core products are emergency food parcels, dietary-adaptive parcels, and a portfolio of support services including a volunteer programme, a financial donation programme (one-off gifts, regular giving, standing orders, legacy gifts), and a corporate partnership programme. Hillingdon Foodbank operates on a community-led go-to-market model with no proprietary technology platform; it relies on standard foodbank management practices and physical distribution through centres in Uxbridge, Yiewsley, Ruislip, Northwood, Hayes, and South Ruislip. Over 90% of the food distributed is donated by the public, with permanent collection points at Waitrose, Tesco, and Sainsbury's locations. The charity's reach is supported by an organic social media presence on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram and by community events including harvest appeals, food drives, and Christmas hamper programmes.

Hillingdon Foodbank generates no commercial revenue; it is funded entirely through charitable contributions in the form of food, money, and volunteer labour, supplemented by corporate partnerships with companies such as IFCO and Cummins routed via The Trussell Trust. The charity operates within the Trussell Trust network of 428 foodbanks across the UK and has supported the establishment of 83 additional foodbanks since its founding. In 2021, it supplied 13,477 people with three-day emergency food; at the network level, the Trussell Trust distributed 3,121,404 three-day emergency food supplies in 2023/24, of which 1,144,096 were for children.

Name

Hillingdon

Legal name

Hillingdon Foodbank

Website

https://hillingdon.foodbank.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Hillingdon Foodbank is a registered charity in the London Borough of Hillingdon that provides three-day emergency food parcels to families and individuals in crisis through a voucher referral system across multiple distribution centres, operating as the first foodbank in London.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Charitable Emergency Food Assistance

NAICS

Community Food Services (624210), Community Food Services (62421), Community Food and Housing, and Emergency and Other Relief Services (6242)

akta.pro primary industry

Food Assistance & Food Banks (BPAGAEAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

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

Keywords

• Emergency food assistance
• Foodbank services
• Charitable food distribution
• Community food relief
• Food donation programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Uxbridge

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices8 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: The foodbank receives food donations from the public, local businesses, churches, schools, and supermarkets. Over 90% of food distributed is donated by the public.
2. Financial Donations: The organization accepts monetary donations to support operational costs, including regular giving programs, one-off gifts, and legacy donations.
3. Volunteering: Volunteers contribute time for warehouse operations, client interaction at distribution centres, driving, and administrative support.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Hillingdon Foodbank provides short-term emergency food assistance to individuals and families in crisis within the London Borough of Hillingdon. The charity distributes three-day nutritionally balanced, non-perishable food parcels through a voucher referral system operated in partnership with local agencies. Food is collected from supermarkets, individuals, churches, schools, and businesses, sorted at a Yiewsley warehouse, and distributed via multiple centres across the borough. As the first foodbank in London (established 2009), it operates as part of The Trussell Trust's national network of 428 foodbanks.

Product overview

Hillingdon Foodbank operates as a single-service charity providing emergency food relief to local families in crisis. The core offering consists of three-day nutritionally balanced food parcels distributed through a voucher referral system operated in partnership with local agencies. The service is supported by food donation collection points, volunteer operations, and financial donation programmes. As the first foodbank in London (established 2009), it is part of The Trussell Trust network. The organization does not operate a technology platform but provides its charitable services through physical distribution centres across the Hillingdon borough.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Emergency Food Parcel Distribution Three-day supply of nutritionally balanced, non-perishable food provided to individuals and families in crisis who have been referred via a voucher system. Distributed at multiple centres across the Hillingdon borough.
• Foodbank Voucher Referral System A structured referral system through which partner agencies (Citizens Advice, health visitors, social services, Job centres) issue vouchers that clients exchange for emergency food parcels at distribution centres.
• Food Donation Collection Service

Quantifiable outcome

• 13477 people supplied with three-day emergency food in 2021

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

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 minor.

• The Trussell TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2009Hillingdon Foodbank is part of The Trussell Trust network of 428 foodbanks across the UK. The Trust supports communities and churches to open foodbanks and developed the More Than Food program. Hillingdon was the first foodbank in London when it launched in 2009 and has helped establish 83 other foodbanks.
• Local ChurchescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe foodbank is run in partnership with local churches, facilitated by Hillingdon Foodbank. Churches provide venues for distribution centres including St. Margaret's Church, Emmanuel Church, St. Edmund's Church, and others.
• Hillingdon CouncilcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLocal government partner that issues foodbank vouchers to residents in crisis through their services.
• Citizens AdvicecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorReferral partner that issues foodbank vouchers and provides additional support including help navigating benefits system and maximizing income.
• JobcentrescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGovernment employment services that refer job seekers in crisis to the foodbank.
• Healthcare ProviderscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHealth visitors and other NHS partners identify people in crisis and issue foodbank vouchers as part of patient care.
• IFCOminorOthersCorporate partner supporting the foodbank through The Trussell Trust partnership program.
• CumminsminorOthersCorporate partner supporting the foodbank through The Trussell Trust partnership program.
• WaitrosecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSupermarket food collection points at multiple locations including Northwood and Gerrards Cross stores.
• TescocoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSupermarket food collection points at multiple locations including Gerrards Cross, Southall, Hayes, and Feltham stores.
• Sainsbury'scoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSupermarket food collection points at Ruislip and Uxbridge locations.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Westminster Foodbank: Trussell Trust-affiliated foodbank operating across multiple distribution sites in central London. Closely comparable voucher-based referral model, volunteer-driven operations, and corporate supermarket donation partnerships in a London borough.
• The Felix Project: London-based food redistribution charity that collects surplus food and delivers it to charities and schools. Comparable as a London food poverty organization sourcing food from supermarkets for redistribution to people in need.
• City Harvest London: London food rescue charity collecting surplus food from producers and retailers and distributing it to homeless hostels, refuges, and foodbanks. Directly comparable mission and operating geography to Hillingdon Foodbank.
• Ealing Foodbank: Adjacent West London Trussell Trust foodbank with parallel three-day parcel, voucher referral, and church-hub distribution model. Comparable as a neighbouring borough foodbank serving similar London demographics.
• FareShare: UK charity redistributing surplus food to frontline charities, including foodbanks and community groups. Comparable as a UK food poverty organization operating in the London area with parallel supermarket and corporate donor relationships.
• Helping Hand Foodbank (Hounslow): West London foodbank serving the neighbouring Hounslow borough with a comparable community-led model and supermarket collection point infrastructure. Directly comparable as a borough-level emergency food relief charity operating in the same regional market.

Broad incumbents

• The Trussell Trust: UK-wide charity that supports a network of 428 foodbanks including Hillingdon Foodbank. Directly comparable as the umbrella network providing operational standards, training, and partnership frameworks used by Hillingdon and other member foodbanks.
• Independent Food Aid Network (IFAN): UK-wide network of independent foodbanks not affiliated with the Trussell Trust. Comparable as an umbrella body representing grassroots foodbanks serving low-income and crisis-hit communities in the UK.

Regional players

• Mary's Meals: International charity providing school meals to children in some of the world's poorest communities. Comparable charitable model providing food to people in need, but operating primarily outside the UK rather than competing for Hillingdon's donors or clients.

Emerging players

• FoodCycle: UK charity combining surplus food with volunteer power to serve community meals to people facing food poverty. Comparable mission targeting food insecurity in the UK with volunteer-driven, community-led model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/hillingdonfoodbank01
• Facebookfacebook.com/hillingdonfoodbank01
• Instagraminstagram.com/hillingdonfoodbank01
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hillingdon

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Hillingdon