Sainsbury's Hedge End

The Food Centre is a church led, community focused project that enables individuals and families to be supported during financial crisis. We provide dried, tinned and, when available, fresh food which is donated by individuals, schools, churches and local businesses. Our passion is to provide food with love and encouragement to those struggling within our communities. OPENING HOURS It is open every Monday (except Bank Holidays) at King’s Community Church (KCC) from 10am to 1pm. It also opens a Food Pantry every Thursday at KCC from 10am to 12.30pm. The Food Centre is supported by “Churches Together ” in the Southern Parishes area and has various food collection points which are based at KCC, Aldi, Lidl, M &S and the Co Op in Hedge End and has collection points in a number of different churches. REFERRAL We have about 60 different referral agencies that include local church leaders, Doctors/GPs, children services, vulnerable adult services, CAB at Hedge End or Eastleigh offices and primarily Eastleigh B/C who are in contact with the local community. Their role is to contact the food centre to inform us of personal details and needs. This is done by electronic referrals or by phone to the designated mobile number. FOOD DONATIONS The food centre requires regular food donations and these can be brought to KCC from Monday to Friday 09.00-16.30 or on a Sunday morning from 09.30-12.00. Please put the food on the shelving at our donation point near the main entrance. For a list of all food types required, please click here but please remember that it must be non-perishables and in date.

The Three Rivers Community Rail Partnership is a not for profit group working with the rail industry to promote train travel and re-use station buildings for community benefit. The Free Shop at Swaythling Railway Station runs every Saturday morning from 1030 - 1230, handing out spare food from supermarkets and private donations to reduce food waste and help people access food without barriers. We do not charge and do not seek referrals or benefits statements, so everyone has the opportunity to take food without criteria on a first come, first served basis. This project builds social cohesion in the Swaythling area and surrounding communities, brings people together, reuses spare rooms at the station, which otherwise would sit empty, promotes the railways in a positive light and reduces the impact of waste on our environment. The Three Rivers Community Rail Partnership is part of the registered umbrella organisation Hampshire Community Rail Partnership CIC.

We set up our food banks 28 yrs ago and our Marketplaces 4 years ago. We have 5 food, 1 clothing bank and 4 Marketplaces. The Banks provide emergency support to those in need. Our Marketplaces is a community food membership scheme for local people. Our Banks operate an online system referral agents can use to refer clients. There is a network of over 2000 individual agents able to refer to us now. In 2023we gave out 4 days of food 21,765 times and clothed 2,153 people with x4 outfits. We do all this free of charge through working co-operatively with supermarkets, charities, business and churches across the city to make it happen. SCM Marketplaces have been designed to complement our existing emergency food and clothes project. For a weekly £5 membership subscription, Marketplace members can come on the day their Marketplace is open, use the members café, chat to members and volunteers, talk to any visiting advice agencies, and choose around 13 items from the fridges, freezers, fresh fruit and veg, bakery, ambient food products and toiletries.