Where Can I Find Food Banks in Brighton & Hove?
A friendly guide for Brighton Girls who’re struggling to afford food
Living in Brighton and Hove can be great fun, but it’s also becoming more expensive. In fact, government statistics have shown that it’s one of the least affordable places in England to rent a property. For many women in our community, the cost of living is rising faster than incomes, and that means everyday basics like food are harder to cover.
If you’re finding yourself worrying about your next meal, you’re absolutely not alone – over 14 million people have faced hunger due to lack of money.
In this guide, collated with information by our community and partners, you’ll see that you do have places to turn to for help in a safe, respectful way. This includes food banks, affordable food schemes and crisis support.
As a starting point, the Brighton and Hove Food Partnership have a whole directory map of food support and crisis services to help.
What’s available and how it works
The good news is there’s a dedicated hub run by the Brighton & Hove Food Partnership that brings together information about emergency food services across the city. You can visit the page here:
👉 Accessing Emergency Food in Brighton & Hove
Here’s a breakdown of what you’ll find:
If you need help today, you can call Impact Initiatives 01273 322 950 or email food.access@impact-initiatives.org.uk for friendly advice.
A map and directory of food-support projects across the city, searchable by day, area or type of service.
Definitions of the types of support available:
Food banks – you’ll normally need a referral from a professional or agency, and then you receive a bag of food (often for around three days) and sometimes toiletries.
Affordable food shops and schemes, community cafés and meals, and community fridges or pantries all offer different levels of support depending on your need and situation.
Leaflets are available in multiple languages, and interpreters can be arranged.
There’s also guidance for those who are pregnant, students, older residents, or housebound.
How to use the hub (step-by-step)
Visit the Brighton & Hove Food Partnership’s emergency food page.
If it’s urgent, call 01273 322 950 or send an email to speak to someone who can help.
Use the searchable map or list to find your nearest food bank or food-support option. You can filter by area (Brighton or Hove), by day of week, or by service type (for example, food bank vs pantry).
Check whether you need a referral. For many food banks you’ll need one, which can come from your GP, teacher, community leader or a support organisation.
If you’re not sure which option is right for you, the hub also lists affordable food shops, pantries and community meal projects that provide longer-term help.
Tips & reassurance
You don’t have to be homeless or unemployed to ask for help. Many women facing low income, unstable hours or rising rent turn to these services.
Bringing ID or proof of circumstance can help, but don’t let uncertainty stop you — the team can guide you through the process.
If you’re doing this for a friend or neighbour, you can support them by finding the right contact details and helping them make the first call.
Pair this support with local money-advice or benefits checks to make sure you’re accessing everything available to you.
Sharing this information is an act of community. Many Brighton girls benefit when we look out for each other — this is a safe place to start.
Community Notes
We asked the Brighton Girl Community to read through our guide and recommend organisations for us to highlight, which we’ll list below.
Cowley Club Vegan Food Bank: An all-vegan, no questions or referrals needed food bank 1pm - 3pm Tuesdays
Council Discretionary Payments Scheme: Extra help for those already claiming benefits to cover a rent/council tax shortfall, home removal costs, paying rent in advance and more.
Brighton and Hove Council’s Cost of Living Support: A hub showcasing different services available to help you through the cost of living crisis
BrightStore: Local, affordable food communities in Whitehawk and Hollingdean
Olio: An app for giving away or cheaply selling leftover food
Lunch Positive: A voluntary community organisation that runs a weekly lunch club every Friday for people living with or affected by HIV. Here they provide food emergency supplies.
New affordable food project in South Moulsecoomb: Runs every other Tuesday. To access, you must be on a means tested benefit and feel like they are struggling to do the food shop. You also must live in either Moulsecoomb or the wider Moulsecoomb & Bevendean ward and not be accessing either the Moulsecoomb Community Market or Bevendean Foodbank in the same fortnight. Get further info by emailing brightongrubhub@gmail.com
Youth Advice Centre (YMCA YAC) Food Market: 16-25 year olds affordable food shop. Open Monday - Friday, 9am to 5pm at 11 St George’s Place, BN1 4BG.
Sussex Surplus: Co-founded by Brighton Girl, Ingrid, the Sussex Surplus team hosts a Thursday Community Meal at the Bristol Estate Community Hub every Thursday 12pm - 2pm (eat in or take away). They also provide emergency food parcels, which can be delivered within the Bristol Estate, plus a community larder every Thursday where people can access take home ingredients.
Want to add in any additional services or information? Email hello@citygirlnetwork.com.
Thanks so much to the Brighton Girl community for helping us create this guide.