Food & Community Hub

What do you want to know?

What is the Food & Community Hub?

The Hub offers a food bank service, a free opportunity to eat together or simply sit and have a tea or coffee and a natter with neibhours.  Once you are referred by one of the agencies listed below, the food bags will be available for pick-up from the Food & Community Hub.  The following local agencies will assess your need and make a referral for you if you are in need.

• Futures Homescape
• Doctors Surgery
• Citizens Advice
• Member of clergy
• Local Area Coordinators
• Social Care
• Family Nurse/Health Visitor
• P3

When is the Hub open?

The Food & Community Hub is open between 12pm and 2pm every Tuesday and Friday with the exceptions of Bank Holidays.

If you are a current client and have come to the end of your referral period,  contact your usual referring agency, they will let the Hub Coordinator know that you have a new referral, and you will be able to come and pick your food parcel up from within the hub, during the normal sessions – Tuesdays and Fridays between 12 noon and 2pm.

If you are new to the Food & Community Hub, and find yourself in urgent need of help, but can’t immediately get a referral, you can present yourself at the hub and continue to use the service the following week without a referral.  This is to  give you time to contact one of the local agencies listed above, to be referred in future.

What happens at the hub?

The Hub aims to be a place of welcome and hospitality with formal and informal support available.  We provide advice on Universal Credit and other benefits, housing issues, managing debt and so on through access to Citizens Advice staff on site.

If you require access to the internet for online accounts and job search, just ask any of the volunteers and they can arrange this.

Most sessions include some kind of hot meal but always tea and coffee.  Every other Friday, Smith’s Kitchen cook for everyone who turns up.

Do I need to be referred to the Hub?

Access to the crisis food parcels requires a referral, but if you would like to benefit from the other support or simply have someone to talk to, then you are very welcome to drop in.

If there are steps you want or need to take, or have barriers to overcome in your life, then there is a listening ear and a positive desire to support you on your way; the hub is for eveyrbody and anybody – we are simply all neighbours.

How can I find the Hub?

As you head North from the town centre, you will find the Hub inside the Baptist Chapel on Bridge Street in Belper; we are nextdoor to the Devonshire and opposite The Rifleman’s.  When we are open there will normally be a banner with the Food & Community Hub logo clearly displayed on the railings outside – just come straight in – we don’t bite.

Donating food or money

We welcome donations and if you are able to add to your shopping basket to support us you will find occasional updates on our Facebook page as to which items are most useful or we are short of – just click on the link http://facebook.com/hopeforbelper/

There are several places you can donate food and toiletries:

• All three Belper Coop shops
• Morrisons
• Iceland
• Most churches
• Food & Community Hub on Tuesdays and Fridays between 10 and 11am

The facebook page also has a Donate button, including a facility to gift aid, and monies donated this way will go in to the Hope for Belper General Fund.

If you would like to set up a one-off Bank Transfer or regular Standing Order, contact treasurer@hopeforbelper.com

If you have any questions about donating, please email donate@hopeforbelper.com

Latest News

Derbyshire Dales Citizens Advice now operate appointments and drop-in clinics at the Hub: