Luton Foodbank launches the Food Club, a new way to help local households build financial resilience

Members choose their own food for £5 or £10, with Essential Skills workshops and advisor support to help families build choice, dignity and independence.

Luton Foodbank has launched the Food Club at the University of Bedfordshire, offering local households the chance to choose their own food for a small contribution, alongside practical workshops and advice. The launch was welcomed by the Mayor of Luton, Councillor Javed Hussain, and Andrew Forsey OBE, National Director of Feeding Britain, who gave the keynote address.

How the Food Club works

• £5 allows an adult-only household to choose up to 15 items.

• £10 allows a household with one or more children under 18 to choose up to 30 items.

• Members can select up to two of each product and use the Food Club up to six times a year.

• Contributions are used to buy more food.

• Every member takes part in at least two Essential Skills workshops, and all six are encouraged. They cover managing money, smart shopping, cooking on a budget, growing your own food, staying warm and well through winter, and looking after health and wellbeing.

• Members join through a referral from an approved partner or from Luton Foodbank, and must live in Luton.

Why Luton needs it

This year Luton Foodbank distributed almost 19,500 food parcels, nearly four times as many as a little over a decade ago and a 14% increase on the previous year. Nationally, food banks in the Trussell network provided more than 2.6 million emergency food parcels in 2025, 45% more than before the pandemic, and UK inflation rose to 3.5% in September.

The need has also changed. Luton Foodbank's data and conversations with clients showed that more working families were managing quietly on low incomes, that some people who have used the foodbank five times or more needed a pathway away from emergency parcels, and that older residents were not coming forward to ask for help. Families who have used the foodbank five times or more are encouraged and supported to move to it.

Salma Khan, Chief Executive of Luton Foodbank, said: “Need in Luton never stands still, so our services can’t either. We saw more working families struggling quietly on low incomes, and people who needed a way out of emergency parcels. That is why we have introduced the Food Club. It sits alongside our emergency parcels, not instead of them, and gives people choice, dignity and independence, and the skills to stand on their own.”

The Mayor of Luton, Councillor Javed Hussain, said: “The Food Club represents the very best of our community spirit. By bringing people together to give local families access to affordable, nutritious food, it is creating opportunities, reducing hardship and helping to build a healthier and more connected Luton. I wish it every success.”

Andrew Forsey OBE, National Director of Feeding Britain, said: “While emergency food remains a necessary lifeline for people in crisis, our aim must be to stop families reaching that point. By giving people the dignity of choice and the opportunity to build confidence and skills around food and budgeting, the Food Club demonstrates what a local, community-led approach can achieve. Feeding Britain is proud to have helped fund the pilot and to be part of its launch.”

About the Food Club

Luton Foodbank piloted the Food Club at Chantry Primary Academy with St Matthew's, and Feeding Britain helped fund the pilot. It is led by Anita Paymaster and Syed Murthaza, who share the Operations Manager role, supported by the New Horizons Fund, funded by Luton Rising and managed by the Bedfordshire and Luton Community Foundation.

For more information, visit https://lutonfoodbank.org.uk/food-club/, call 01582 725838 or email [email protected].