Row for Food

Every week, Bournemouth Foodbank ensures anyone who needs food and cannot afford the essentials is provided with a food parcel. Demand continues to rise across our local communities, and the summer holidays is a particular time of increased demand. 

What is 'Row for Food'?

Bournemouth Foodbank have partnered up with members of our staff, supporters and community for 'Row for Food' on Saturday 7th June 2025, by tackling the Poole Park Dragon Boat Race. This popular event is a first for the charity, and we will be competing against other employers and organisations for the fastest time.

We need your support in sponsoring a friend, family member, colleague or volunteer to participate in this race, (who are completely untrained and inexperienced in the sport of rowing!) so that we can sustain a lifeline for those in financial crisis and poverty across Bournemouth and the surrounding areas. 

How is our foodbank increasing financial wellbeing and independence?

Our wider vision is to end hunger in Bournemouth by supporting our clients into financial resilience and tackling the causes of poverty in our area. Upon collection of a food parcel, we deliver in-house services including debt advice from the Community Money Advice Service and income maximisation delivered by Citizen's Advice. Through creating a space where people can receive their food parcel, get the advice and support they need and enjoy a cup of tea and friendly chat with our support workers, we hope we can help people move away from crisis and into financial resilience. Food is an excellent gateway to engage with people face to face, also breaking down the digital poverty that exists across our community. 

We recognise that food banks need to offer far more than just food and that providing a range of additional advice and support, including budgeting and debt advice helps to build resilience and address some of the factors that can lead to food insecurity. We want to reduce the need for individuals and families to keep needing to use a foodbank. One part of this is removing the burden of debt. We work across the community of Bournemouth to help individuals and families (who are willing) to get a plan to manage their debt with the long term goal of becoming debt free, and therefore no longer need food support.  This is vitally important at a time when the cost of living crisis, housing crisis, and energy crisis are not going away anytime soon.

Simply put, a professional helping hand with a laptop can alleviate so much stress and suffering in our clients, which they can access via a drop-in service or by appointment. Food is our initial gateway in engaging with those who need this vital lifeline, which enhances medium to long term financial wellbeing.

We are fundraising so that we can sustain food provision and distribution where there is a significant increase in demand across our community. Money raised will be spent on ensuring we can continue to deliver emergency food parcels to whoever is in need, with all essential items in each parcel. We use food as an excellent gateway to engage with clients who we would otherwise not meet so that upon collection at one of our six hubs, clients can also sit with a financial inclusion worker.

Over 60% of those referred to our foodbank have never visited a foodbank before; a sad reflection of the cost of living crisis and its impact on our community. Please help us ensure no one in our area faces hunger this summer.

Thank you for your support!