If you do not have enough money to buy or cook food, there are organisations that can help.

Food drop-ins

You can get free meals at several venues around Leeds, on different days of the week. You do not need a referral or appointment, you can just turn up.

You can find a list of venues offering food on the Leeds Food Aid Network website:

Leeds Food Aid Network

Food parcels for migrants

If you have no income from benefits or work, you can access ongoing support with small food parcels from venues in south and east Leeds. You do not need an appointment or referral and you do not need to bring proof of your financial circumstances.

Lists of the venues and the times they are open are here:

Venues and Opening Times

Pay As You Feel (PAYF) Cafes / Supermarket

There are several PAYF cafes and a supermarket in Leeds. They offer food and meals made from food which would normally be thrown away, but is still ok to eat. Some cafes may charge a set price for drinks, but you only pay what you are able for the food.

You can find details of where to go here:

Cafes: Armley Junktion Cafe

Supermarket: The Real Junk Food Project on Facebook

Trussell Trust foodbanks

The Trussell Trust foodbanks can provide food parcels in an emergency to help with a short-term crisis (but it cannot provide long-term support). If you have no right to benefits and need food on an ongoing basis, please see the information above called “Food parcels for migrants”.

To use a foodbank, you need to get a voucher first, which you exchange for a food parcel. You can get a voucher from your local Community Hubs and the staff there can tell you where to go to collect a food parcel. Find your local Community Hub:

Community Hubs Leeds

You don’t need any documents to collect a voucher from your Community Hub. You will need to take the voucher with you to the foodbank to collect your food.

Other useful information

If you are a refugee or asylum seeker you can find out more about organisations that can help you on the Help in Leeds website:

Help in Leeds


Last Updated: 9 January 2023

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