Frequently Asked Questions
The food types we currently need are listed on the front page of our website food.gives and are stated in our Starter Pack leaflet. Any brands are fine.
What goes in my box?We will be sending the food you donate to some of the neediest places across the world, including countries in Africa, Asia, South-east Asia and the Middle East. The exact country will depend on current needs and opportunities.
Food will save lives and spare people from hunger pangs, malnutrition and the diseases that follow. Well-nourished bodies are better able to resist infectious diseases such as Covid-19.
The UN has reported that at least 155 million people are “acutely food insecure and in need of assistance”. In some contexts, Christians may be the last people in a long line to buy what little food is available; being more likely to be jobless, they may not be able to even afford it. Our food.gives initiative is focused on getting food regularly and urgently to those areas of greatest need.
The food shortage is so acute in many countries that, even though sending money may be quicker, there is not enough food available to be purchased locally and prices can be very high. We also cannot send money to a number of countries because of sanctions applied by their governments. But we can send food.
To drive down costs, we have factored in cost-saving techniques to our entire operation. We have:
- Negotiated the best price on boxes
- Arranged the most cost-effective shipping of food
- Streamlined data processing
- Utilized a wide network of volunteers
- Re-deployed some of our current staff
- Reduced postage costs by encouraging supporters to receive empty food boxes in multiples of 3, 6, 9 or 12.
We welcome financial donations to cover shipping costs and other overheads of the project.
We are primarily supporting Christians in contexts of anti-Christian pressure and persecution. Anti-Christian discrimination can mean that Christians are the last to receive help from the government or international aid. And in many countries, each religious community is expected to look after its own. So we consider it our cause to provide food to Christians when no one else will help.
You can get involved in a number of different ways. Here are some ideas to get you started:
- You can commit to putting together a monthly food box of dried food and we will send you out a Starter Pack together with the number of food.gives boxes you have requested to receive. Once you have filled each food.gives box, simply attach the printed returns label contained in the Starter Pack and take the box to your nearest DHL drop off point for delivery to our warehouse.
- You can become a church representative and set up your own church food.gives foodbank, gathering food donations. We will send you a Church Starter Pack containing reusable food boxes and clear instructions of what to do and how to arrange delivery to our warehouse. Once we’ve received your filled church box, it will be emptied, cleaned and returned to you for more food gathering.
- You can donate dry food items in a food.gives box as a one-off. Maybe to celebrate an event such as harvest festival or Christmas, the season of giving. If you’d like to get involved in this way, we will send you either a church or individual Starter Pack depending on which you would prefer.
- You can get involved by volunteering at our food.gives warehouse in Swindon, by packing food, stocking shelves, labelling, picking up food boxes, etc.
- You can order the food online. Please go here where you can choose and pay for items on the list there.
If you want to get involved but aren’t sure how, please contact us on 01793 744557 for an informal chat.
No problem at all, we can arrange for your box to be picked up by a church representative or one of our warehouse volunteers.
Due to the global hunger crisis, food is the priority need. If we are practically able to start sending out other items in the future, food.gives will seriously consider this option.
We cater for everyone! Please phone us on 01793 744557 to discuss how you can make a difference.
That’s great news! Yes, please contact us to arrange this on 01793 744557.
Our team pride themselves on their attention to detail. Every packet of food is closely inspected on arrival at the warehouse.
We warmly welcome help! Please phone us on 01793 744557
Yes please. We welcome any quantity of the items on the shopping list.
We are just like a foodbank but the food is not distributed locally. We are a foodbank that helps in situations of extreme hunger among people living in challenging contexts abroad.
Any food donated that cannot be exported because of short expiry dates will be donated to a local foodbank to help them in their wonderful and much-needed work.
Yes, food.gives is an initiative of Barnabas Aid.
Yes, our food packages to those in need will cater to the culture of the local people.
To help keep our postage costs down when sending out the empty boxes we ask that our supporters invest in 3, 6, 9 or 12 months of support.
Your package will be tracked by DHL.
Visit DHL drop-down on top bar along the Homepage. Select Find a DHL Servicepoint, scroll down to the map, select ‘Activiate’ and insert your postcode into the search bar.
Yes, you certainly can. Visit the DHL drop-down on top bar along the Homepage, and select DHL Returns Portal & Guide. All the information is there, but if you need any help, don’t hesitate to contact us on our office number.
