Donating Food
If you would like to donate please ring us before coming on 0118 9872672 or email us on admin@readifood.org.uk
Please note that our office and warehouse are at 33 Boulton Road, Reading. We will ask you to place food in a crates at the door and once full we will date check and sort them.
Our office is normally open from 11am to 4pm every weekday to receive food donations.
If you are delivering a LARGE quantity of food i.e. a van load, please ring first.
Christmas donations to be delivered by Thursday 7th December.
What food do we need?
We use a list of the standard contents for our food parcels, depending on the time of year and food items available.
Please ensure all food items are within “use by date” – thank you
Our current needs: Nov 2023
PRIORITY NEEDS: Tinned tomatoes, tinned vegetables; carrots, peas, sweetcorn etc. cooking oil, tinned meat, pot noodles, , nappies size 8, baby wipes, baby shampoo, baby soap, baby lotion, nappy rash cream, long life or UHT milk, 40s tea bags, Basmati rice, rice pouches, cartons of juice, drinking squash, coffee.
SPECIALIST FOODS NEEDED: Dried noodles, dried lentils, dried couscous, plain flour.
CHRISTMAS FOOD NEEDS: Large tinned meat, tinned salmon, mince pies (with use by date after 26th Dec), crackers (edible), tins/boxes of biscuits, chocolates, tinned vegetables, tinned potatoes, stuffing, selection boxes, popping crackers, savoury snacks, custard (no brandy sauce), jars of cranberry sauce or similar.
General foodbank needs are: Tinned fruit, tinned & instant potatoes, tinned ready meals, rice- 500g & 1kg bags, baked beans, soup (tins and cuppa), cooking sauces, tinned fish, cereal, tea, coffee, sugar, cereal bars, sweet & savoury biscuits, tinned & dried pulses, packet desert (custard, angel delight), sandwich spreads, jam, plain flour, gluten free items, vegan items, crisps & toiletries.
Though we do not actively request fresh items, we will accept some items, if in date and have a few days of shelf life remaining. We also take many different long life items, so please do call us if you are unsure as to whether we will accept them.
We currently have a large stock of pasta and gluten free pasta, so we are not in need of pasta donations, thank you. Please go to our home page to see how we are donating surplus pasta to be added to food aid parcels in Ukraine.
We are unable to accept donations of baby milk. This is under UNICEF guidelines to foodbanks in the U.K
We also give out:
Toiletries