Lewisham Food

What Lewisham Food does

Lewisham Foodbank is a registered charity (Charity No 1103431, Company No 05039813) founded in 2012 and operated under Transform Network, a local church-based charity. It is part of The Trussell Trust national foodbank network and serves the London Borough of Lewisham exclusively. The organisation provides emergency three-day food supplies to individuals and families in crisis, distributed through five centres across the borough. Access is gated by an e-voucher referral system issued by partner agencies such as Citizens Advice, schools, housing associations, GPs, faith organisations, and dedicated phone-based referral lines (Help Through Hardship, Community Connections Lewisham, and a bespoke foodbank line).

The foodbank's core "product" is the food parcel — a nutritionally balanced pack of non-perishable, tinned, and dried items, with variants adapted for halal, vegetarian, gluten-free, diabetic, and allergy needs, plus baby supplies including nappies and baby food. Supporting operations include a dedicated warehouse at the New Hope Centre (353H Bromley Road) for donation intake, a volunteer programme, and digital donation infrastructure (PayPal, JustGiving, standing orders, BACS, legacy giving, the GiveToday online grocery platform, and a Tesco donation point with a 20% top-up pledge). The underlying technology is minimal: a WordPress website, social media presence, and a basic e-voucher system. No mobile app, API, or proprietary software is disclosed.

Lewisham Foodbank's business model is that of a non-profit: services are provided free of charge to clients, and revenue (in the form of donations and grants) is generated from individuals, corporate partners, and fundraising events. In 2025, the organisation distributed 22,011 three-day food supplies, serving a borough where more than one in three residents live below the poverty line — nearly double the UK average. The organisation employs only 5 people and relies heavily on volunteers and donated food (over 90% of food distributed via the Trussell network is publicly donated). Strategic priorities include expanding fundraising channels, formalising impact reporting, and maintaining the referral and distribution ecosystem that underpins service delivery.

Name

Lewisham Food

Legal name

Lewisham Foodbank

Website

https://lewisham.foodbank.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Lewisham Foodbank is a registered charity, founded in 2012 and part of The Trussell Trust network, that distributes emergency three-day food parcels to individuals and families in crisis across the London Borough of Lewisham through five centres and an e-voucher referral system operated with local partner agencies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Charitable Food Assistance

NAICS

Community Food Services (624210), Community Food and Housing, and Emergency and Other Relief Services (6242), Emergency and Other Relief Services (62423)

akta.pro primary industry

Food Assistance & Food Banks (BPAGAEAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

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

Keywords

• Emergency food relief
• Food bank services
• Food parcel distribution
• Charitable food aid
• Community food support

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Lewisham Foodbank provides free three-day emergency food parcels to individuals and families in crisis in the London Borough of Lewisham. Parcels are accessed only via e-vouchers issued by registered referral partner agencies and can be adapted for halal, vegetarian, gluten-free, diabetic and allergy-specific diets. Food and monetary donations from the public fund operations through warehouse collection points, supermarket drop-offs, and online giving platforms.

Product overview

Lewisham Foodbank is a single-service charitable organisation providing emergency food relief to people in crisis in the London borough of Lewisham. The core offering is a food parcel distribution service (three-day emergency food supplies) accessed through a voucher-based referral system operated by registered partner agencies. The organisation also operates complementary services including food donation collection (from supermarkets and online deliveries), monetary donation processing (via PayPal, JustGiving, and bank transfers), and a volunteer programme. Food parcels are nutritionally balanced and can be adapted for special dietary needs including halal, gluten-free, vegetarian, and diabetic requirements. The foodbank operates five distribution centres across Lewisham, with a central warehouse for donations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Emergency Food Parcel Distribution Free three-day emergency food parcels containing nutritionally balanced, non-perishable, tinned and dried foods, provided to individuals and families in crisis in the London Borough of Lewisham who hold a valid e-voucher from a referral agency. Includes baby supplies such as nappies and baby food.
• Food Voucher Referral System A voucher-based access system in which registered referral agencies (Citizens Advice, support workers, schools, housing associations, GPs, faith organisations, Help Through Hardship, Community Connections Lewisham and the foodbank's bespoke phone line) issue e-vouchers to individuals in crisis, who then exchange them for food parcels at foodbank centres.
• Dietary-Adapted Food Parcels Specialised food parcels adapted for specific dietary requirements including diabetes, gluten intolerance, vegetarian diets, halal, and food allergies.

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

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Transform NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLewisham Foodbank is part of Transform Network, a local church-based charity. Transform Network is the parent charitable organisation (Charity No 1103431, Company No 05039813) under which Lewisham Foodbank operates.
• The Trussell TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLewisham Foodbank is part of The Trussell Trust network of foodbanks. Over 90% of food distributed by foodbanks in The Trussell network is donated by the public.
• Referral partner organisationscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCitizens Advice, children's centres, health visitors, support workers, schools, housing associations, GPs, faith organisations and other agencies that refer people to the foodbank by issuing them with a foodbank voucher.
• TescominorGTM or Marketing PartnerTesco has a donation point where customers can donate food items. Tesco pledges to top up food donations by 20%. Between July and December 2020 they contributed just over £3,000.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• The Felix Project: London-based food rescue charity that collects surplus food and redistributes it to charities and schools across the capital. Comparable London geography and shared beneficiary pool with Lewisham Foodbank.
• Sufra Foodbank & Community Hub: North-West London foodbank providing emergency food parcels alongside wraparound support (advice, clothing, kitchen). Comparable operating model with a more integrated service offering.
• Magic Breakfast: UK charity providing school breakfasts and food support to children facing food insecurity. Comparable mission and donor constituency but focused on children and schools rather than emergency parcels.
• FareShare: UK's largest food redistribution charity, redistributing surplus food to a network of frontline charities including foodbanks. Operates an adjacent but complementary model in the same food-insecurity space.
• The Bread and Butter Thing: UK charity running membership-based mobile food markets offering deeply discounted groceries to families in poverty. Comparable food-access mission with a different distribution model.
• City Harvest London: London-based food rescue and redistribution charity operating in the same city as Lewisham Foodbank, supplying surplus food to charities and feeding programmes serving food-insecure populations.
• Lambeth Foodbank: Neighbouring Trussell Trust foodbank serving Lambeth, sharing the same voucher-referral model and donor base across adjacent South London boroughs.
• FoodCycle: UK charity combining surplus food with volunteer power to serve community meals to people facing food poverty. Comparable model focused on food access for vulnerable populations.

Broad incumbents

• The Trussell Trust: National umbrella network of UK foodbanks; Lewisham Foodbank operates as an affiliate within this network. Directly comparable as the parent of Lewisham's operating model and governance framework.

Others

• Independent Food Aid Network (IFAN): UK-wide coalition of independent food banks. Comparable organisational form and beneficiary base, but not part of the Trussell Trust network, making it a useful counterpoint rather than direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/lewishamfood
• Facebookfacebook.com/LewishamFoodbank
• Instagraminstagram.com/lewishamfoodbank
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lewisham-food

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 Lewisham Food