Hounslow Community FoodBox

What Hounslow Community FoodBox does

Hounslow Community FoodBox is a volunteer-led registered charity (Charity Commission number 1170666, constituted as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation on 9 December 2016) that provides emergency food parcels, support and signposting to individuals and families in financial hardship across the London Borough of Hounslow. Founded in 2012 by the late Cllr Steve Curran and Cllr Ruth Cadbury (now MP for Brentford & Isleworth) with seed support from the London Borough of Hounslow, the charity began parcel deliveries in April 2013 and has since scaled to support more than 4,000 adults and children (approximately 80,000 meals) by end-October 2024, with nearly 4,000 parcels provided in 2022 alone. Service is delivered through two Brentford community centres - Rose Community Centre (parcel collection, donations) and Brickfield Community Centre (administration, community garden) - supplemented by a volunteer driver fleet for home delivery to those with mobility or health constraints.

The core service is referral-only: recipients cannot self-refer and must be referred through a network of over 600 professionals across 75+ partner organisations including Hounslow Council teams, Hounslow and Richmond Community Healthcare NHS Trust, GP surgeries, Citizens Advice, and schools. Parcels are tailored to dietary requirements (halal, South Asian, vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, lactose-intolerant, diabetic, no-cooking-facilities) and typically contain four days of supplies including non-perishable, fresh, and frozen food plus toiletries, baby items, and pet food. The underlying technology stack is minimal: standard web infrastructure (Umbraco CMS), social media channels, and manual volunteer coordination via the Operations Manager and an active trustee/governance bench. There are no proprietary software products, no app, no public API, and no AI/ML components disclosed.

The revenue model is entirely donation- and grant-based with no charge to recipients. Financial donations flow through JustGiving, direct bank transfer, and Amazon Smile (with Gift Aid recovery of 25p per £1); in-kind donations come from individuals, schools, supermarkets, allotment holders, and religious organisations (notably the Oshwal Association Jain community, Hounslow Gurdwara, and Hen Corner). Charitable grants supplement this base (e.g., £5,000 from Oshwal Association UK West in October 2022). Fundraising relies on local media coverage, social media, community events, and endorsements from the local MP and Brentford FC. The organisation has 5 paid staff (including a new Operations Assistant role posted in 2025) supported by 60-70 volunteers active in a typical week.

Name

Hounslow Community FoodBox

Legal name

Hounslow Community FoodBox

Website

https://hounslowfoodbox.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Hounslow Community FoodBox is a volunteer-led registered charity providing referral-only emergency food parcels, delivery, and signposting to individuals and families in financial hardship across the London Borough of Hounslow, funded entirely by donations and grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Charitable Food Aid / Emergency Food Bank Services

NAICS

Community Food Services (62421), Emergency and Other Relief Services (624230), Community Food and Housing, and Emergency and Other Relief Services (6242)

akta.pro primary industry

Food Assistance & Nutrition Relief (Emergency Feeding) (BPAGAAAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Food & Nutrition Assistance Programs (BPAIAKAF), Drop-Off Catering & Boxed Meals (HSACAGAB)

Keywords

• Emergency food parcels
• Food bank services
• Community food support
• Volunteer-led charity
• Referral-based food aid

Headquarters

HQ city

Brentford

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Financial Donations: Individual and corporate donations from supporters. In November and December 2022, financial donations exceeded £40,000. Donations can be made via JustGiving, direct bank transfer, or Amazon Smile (0.5% of eligible purchases). Gift Aid scheme allows reclaiming 25p per £1 donated.
2. Food and Toiletry Donations: In-kind donations of non-perishable, frozen, and fresh food items, toiletries, and other essential items from individuals, businesses, schools, and community groups. These form the primary inventory distributed through food parcels.
3. Charitable Grants: Support from charitable foundations and organizations. Received £5,000 from Oshwal Association UK West - Shakti Centre (Jain community).

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Hounslow Community FoodBox provides emergency food parcels containing approximately four days of non-perishable, fresh, and frozen foods, plus toiletries and essential items, to individuals and families in financial hardship within the London Borough of Hounslow. Parcels are tailored to dietary requirements including halal, vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, and diabetic-friendly options. Recipients must be referred through a network of over 600 professionals across 75+ partner organizations and can either collect parcels at Rose Community Centre in Brentford or receive home delivery.

Product overview

Hounslow Community FoodBox is a volunteer-led registered charity providing emergency food, support, and advice to people in need within the London Borough of Hounslow. The organization operates a unified service centered around its Emergency Food Parcel Service, supplemented by a Food Donation Collection Service, a Volunteering Program with diverse roles, a Referral Partner Network, and a Food Delivery Service. Additional offerings include a Community Garden Program that grows fresh produce for parcels, Corporate Volunteering Days for community engagement, and seasonal Christmas Hampers. The service is referral-based, working with over 600 professionals across 75+ partner organizations to identify and support vulnerable individuals and families.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Emergency Food Parcel Service Provides emergency food parcels containing non-perishable, fresh, and frozen foods along with toiletries to individuals and families in need within the London Borough of Hounslow. Parcels are tailored to dietary requirements including halal, vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, and diabetic-friendly options.
• Food Donation Collection Service Collects food and toiletry donations from individuals, community groups, businesses, schools, and supermarkets through drop-off points and volunteer collection services.
• Volunteering Program Engages volunteers in various roles including frontline food preparation, driving and delivery, administration, fundraising, social media, and garden maintenance. Supports young volunteers through programs like the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme.
• Referral Partner Network Works with over 600 professionals from 75+ organizations including council services, GP surgeries, mental health services, housing services, and advice organizations to identify and support individuals and families in need.
• Food Delivery Service Delivers food parcels to individuals who are self-isolating, have limited mobility, or have health issues that prevent them from collecting parcels in person.
• Community Garden Program Operates vegetable and flower gardens at Brickfield Community Centre and an allotment at Chiswick Horticultural & Allotments Society to grow fresh produce for inclusion in food parcels.
• Christmas Hampers Provides Christmas food hampers containing food for families or single residents along with Christmas presents and festive treats for children, supported by partner organizations.
• Corporate Volunteering Days Organizes Make a Difference Days and corporate volunteering sessions for businesses and schools to engage with the community and support food bank operations.

Named customers6 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered minor and major.

• Adecco (recruitment partner)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 29 July 2025FoodBox partnered with Adecco to advertise the Operations Assistant job opportunity. The temporary ongoing contract role is for 2 days per week (Thursday & Friday) at £15.00 per hour.
• Alexanders (storage and logistics company)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 December 2022UK's premier removals and storage firm partnered with Brentford FC and FoodBox to provide Christmas Hampers. On 17th December, a team of volunteers packed over 160 hampers at the Alexanders warehouse. Hampers were delivered throughout Hounslow in the run up to Christmas, containing food for families or single residents along with Christmas presents and festive treats.
• Brentford Football ClubmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 December 2022Brentford FC partnered with Alexanders and FoodBox for Christmas Hampers initiative. Bees Club Ambassador Marcus Gayle and player Josh Dasilva supported the Christmas Appeal, with Dasilva visiting FoodBox to help pack hampers. The club highlighted the cost-of-living crisis and need to support families across the borough.
• Park Road Allotment HoldersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAllotment holders delivered fresh apples to FoodBox at Rose Community Centre on 3 September. With referrals increasing 400% during the pandemic and cost-of-living crisis, allotment holders provided much-needed fresh, healthy produce. Stephen Hurton, Chair of Park Road Allotments Association, stated allotment holders are pleased to donate surplus fruit and vegetables to local people in need.
• Hen Corner (Sara Ward)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOnline cooking classes conducted monthly with Sara Ward of Hen Corner. FoodBox delivers recipe kits with all ingredients on the day of classes. Typically around 5 families join each class, finding them enjoyable and worthwhile.
• Hounslow GurdwaraminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIn December, Hounslow Gurdwara provided 50 one-person frozen vegetarian meals which were included in food parcels, with plans to make this a regular weekly feature.
• Brentford FC Community Sports TrustminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBrentford FC player Josh Dasilva visited FoodBox to help pack Christmas hampers. Bees Club Ambassador Marcus Gayle supported the Christmas Appeal video, encouraging community support during the cost-of-living crisis.
• Local MP Ruth CadburyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRuth Cadbury, Brentford & Isleworth MP and one of the founders of FoodBox, participated in the Osterley 10k on 3 December to raise funds. She is a longstanding supporter and has been instrumental in promoting FoodBox's work and volunteer appeals.
• Ealing & Hounslow GivingminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMany volunteers come to FoodBox through Ealing & Hounslow Giving, a platform where local people can find opportunities to support their community.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• The Felix Project: London-based food rescue charity that collects surplus food and redistributes to frontline charities including food banks. Directly comparable as a London-based food assistance charity operating in the same donor ecosystem.
• City Harvest London: London food surplus redistribution charity delivering to frontline food assistance organizations. Comparable in sourcing and distributing food to vulnerable populations across London boroughs.
• FareShare: UK's largest food redistribution charity, redistributing surplus food to a network of charities and community groups. Comparable operating model of sourcing in-kind food and distributing to vulnerable populations through a partner network.
• The Trussell Trust: The UK's largest food bank network, operating a referral-based emergency food parcel model across 1,400+ food banks. Directly comparable to Hounslow FoodBox as the dominant national peer in the same emergency food assistance category.
• Ealing Foodbank: Trussell Trust-affiliated food bank serving the neighbouring London Borough of Ealing. Direct substitute for residents on the borough boundary and overlapping referral partner network.
• Sufra NW London: Community food bank and refugee support charity in Northwest London providing emergency food parcels via a referral model. Closely mirrors Hounslow FoodBox in scale, mission, and operating model in an adjacent London geography.
• FoodCycle: UK charity providing community meals to people facing food poverty and social isolation through volunteer-led hubs. Comparable volunteer-driven model addressing food insecurity in the UK, though with a meals rather than parcels format.

Broad incumbents

• Crisis UK: National charity for people experiencing homelessness, including food assistance as part of broader support. Comparable as a major UK food aid and vulnerable-population support organization, though broader in scope.
• Independent Food Aid Network (IFAN): UK-wide coalition of independent food banks. Hounslow FoodBox is a typical member organization; useful as a peer to understand sector benchmarks and policy positioning.

Emerging players

• Magic Breakfast: UK charity providing school breakfasts to children facing food insecurity. Comparable food-assistance mission and donor base, though focused on a narrower child-nutrition use case rather than emergency community food parcels.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/HounslowFoodBox
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@hounslowcommunityfoodbox
• Facebookfacebook.com/101244739441203
• Instagraminstagram.com/hounslow_foodbox
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hounslow-community-foodbox

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 Hounslow Community FoodBox