Food & Daily Essentials

Foodbanks

Food banks are grassroots, community organisations aimed at supporting people who cannot afford the essentials in life. If you need help to access food, there are two local foodbanks - one in Maidenhead and one in Windsor.

Maidenhead Foodshare

Foodshare Maidenhead helps people in and around Maidenhead who are, for whatever reason, unable to feed themselves and their families properly.

Please visit Foodshare Maidenhead’s Foodbanks locations webpage for their exact location.

Please visit Foodshare Maidenhead’s website, email Lester_Tanner@foodshare.charity or debbie@foodshare.charity to contact them or call 01628 262711 for an emergency request.

Windsor Foodshare

Windsor Foodshare provides non-perishable food, fresh eggs, fruit, vegetables and bread and cakes to families/individuals, who would otherwise be going hungry. They work on a referral basis, all information on getting referred is available on their website.

To contact Foodshare Windsor, please email manager@windsorfoodshare.org.uk.

All Soul's Church, Ascot Foodshare

Every Friday between 1pm-2pm, with a coffee morning taking place from 12.15pm. Everyone is welcome and no voucher or referral is needed. They ask that you bring your own bag. For more information and a map of where to find them please visit their website.

Hope Church, Sunningdale Foodshare

Every Tuesday between 11am-1pm. Everyone is welcome and no voucher or referral is needed. They ask that you bring your own bag. For more information please visit their website.

Nearby Foodbanks

We know that for some people, their nearest foodbank may be outside the Royal Borough. These foodbanks should be used if you cannot attend one of the foodshares listed above.

Slough Foodbank

They can provide food parcels and toiletries according to the number of adults and children listed by the referral agency. Please note you must have a foodbank voucher number or referral details to receive help from the foodbank. If you don’t have a voucher please contact them to find out how to get a voucher.

Visit their locations page to find the address and opening times of each of their foodbank centres.

You can find out more information on their website.

Runnymede Foodbank

They can provide food parcels according to the number of adults and children listed by the referral agency. Please note you must have a foodbank voucher to receive help from the foodbank. If you don’t have a voucher please contact them to find out how to get a voucher.

Visit their locations page to find the address and opening times of each of their foodbank centres.

You can find out more information on their website.

Bracknell Foodbank

They can provide food parcels according to the number of adults and children listed by the referral agency. Please note you must have a foodbank voucher to receive help from the foodbank. The easiest way to obtain a voucher is often through Citizens Advice, but schools, housing associations, charities & churches also give them out (a full list can be found on the documents list on the top right of this page).

Once you have a voucher, food parcels can be collected from Kerith Community Church, Church Rd, Bracknell, RG12 1EH. Their opening hours are Monday 6pm-7.30pm and Tues, Wed & Fri 10.30am-12pm.

You can find out more information on their website.

Other Food Support

Maidenhead Salvation Army

Provide hot takeaway food for those in need on Sundays between 12.30pm-1.00pm and on Mondays between 6.00pm-6.30pm. They issue Foodshare vouchers, and can help with emergency food parcels, usually between 9.30am-12.30pm on Tuesdays and Thursday, or on 01628 625914 by appointment.

Their Community Hub Café is open on Tuesdays and Thursdays between 9.30am-12.30pm, offering a wider variety of hot drinks, homemade cakes and traybakes, and a warm and friendly welcome.

Driven Forward Community Fridge

The Driven Forward Community Fridge is open Tuesday to Friday 11am to 12:30pm. They are not a foodbank, however, their aim is to end food going to waste by collecting good short-dated food from supermarkets and redistributing it at their shop. You must wear a mask on entry, and there is a minimum donation of £3.

They also run a pop-up community fridge in the pump room at Sawyers Close, Windsor twice a month. The dates for the pop-up dates can be found on their website.

Please visit the Driven Forward Community Fridge’s website or email driven.forward@outlook.com to contact them.

Wider discounts

Wider initiatives and schemes are available to help lower your cost of living, please see below.

____________________________________________________________________

TV Licencing offer a range of payment plans to help eligible customers spread the cost of a TV licence, these include monthly or quarterly direct debits, or a TV Licensing payment card (which enables eligible customers to pay weekly, fortnightly or monthly online, via text or call, on the TVL Pay app, or at any PayPoint outlet).

Their most affordable option is the Simple Payment Plan, which was designed especially for those in financial difficulty. If you qualify, you can choose either a fortnightly or monthly payment plan that spreads the cost of a licence over 12 months.

The Simple Payment Plan also offers flexibility if a payment is missed, as it can be spread across the remainder of the plan instead of having to pay double the amount next time.

You may be eligible to join if you meet one of the following criteria:

• have been visited by a TV Licensing Enquiry Officer to check if you need a licence.
• have previously held a licence that was cancelled within the last six months because of missed payments.
• are experiencing financial difficulties and are referred by a not-for-profit money advice organisation. TV Licensing accept referrals from not-for-profit organisations such as charities or local authority money advice departments, but not from commercial organisations.
• have held a Simple Payment Plan licence within the previous 12 months.

For further information on concessions available and how to apply for these can be found on the TV licensing website along with a wide range of FAQs.

You can contact TV Licencing on their Contact Us webpage.

Resident’s parking discount scheme

As a resident, you are entitled to one hour’s free parking in six popular carparks. For more information, including how to apply, please see our Resident parking discount scheme webpage.

Advantage card

As a resident, you are entitled to get fantastic discounts at a range of attractions, retailers, restaurants, and many more. Please visit our Advantage card webpage for more details.

Railcards

Railcards offer value for money if you travel by train, saving you at least 1/3 on most rail fares. Please visit National Rail’s Railcards and Savings webpage for more details.

Repair Café

The Repair Café is open on the 2nd Saturday of every month. It is a volunteer run event where repair coaches help visitors to fix their beloved but broken item and extend its life. Why throw it away when it can be brought back to life with just a little help? For more info, please see our Repair Cafe page.