Harvest collections

We welcome Harvesttime donations from schools, churches, community groups and members of the public. Traditionally, schools and churches may organise collection drives to mark this time of year.

The need for our foodbank’s support has continued to rise in 2023, with record numbers of people in Cambridge turning to us for emergency food. Harvesttime is therefore especially important for us this year, as we need to make sure that we have enough food to meet the growing need as we head into winter.

You can find out more about donating food on the donate food website page.

Organise a collection drive

Arranging a collection drive is a great way to make a difference in your community. You could collect donations in your workplace, school, church or community group. Remember to seek permission to do so if you need to.

Choose a location to act as your collection point. You might want to collect items at a specific time, or arrange for a container to be placed in an easily accessed location for a week or two for people to leave their donations. Make sure to use this poster to let people know what items are needed.

Promote your collection drive by handing out shopping lists that include our most needed items. You can also ask to have your collection drive included in newsletters or on your organisation’s social media.

Bring all of the donations along to our warehouse at Unit 4 Orwell Furlong CB4 0WY between 10.30am and 1.00pm on Mondays or Fridays. When you come to drop off what you have collected, we’ll ask you a few questions so we can keep track of where our donations come from. If you’ve manged to collect more than 20 bags worth of food, please let us know in advance that you’ll be coming by email at [email protected] or phone on 07470 987149 so that we can prepare for your delivery.

Take pictures of the food you collect and thank the people who donate. If your group or organisation is on social media, please share that you have arranged a Harvest collection and tag us @foodbankcambs or Cambridge City Foodbank so that we can thank you there too.