Christmas feels joyful for many people, but it is also the point in the year when pressure hits hardest for families in our area. The video below shares a personal message from our food bank manager. This article explains the key points behind that message and adds up to date figures from our latest impact report, so you can see clearly what your support achieved in 2024 to 25.
Why Christmas brings the highest pressure
December pushes already stretched budgets past breaking point. Heating costs rise. School holidays increase food bills. Many people come through our doors dealing with poor mental health, loneliness or addiction, made worse by the season. Referrals rise sharply and the need for emergency food climbs with them.
At the same time local generosity peaks. Almost half of the year’s donated food arrives in winter. These donations keep our outlets stocked well into the new year, but demand stays high long after Christmas ends. Your support helps us stay steady during the toughest weeks and the quieter months that follow.
A year of record need across our communities
The challenges you see at Christmas reflect a wider pattern across North Bristol and South Gloucestershire. In 2024 to 25 we supported 15,299 people, including 5,573 children. That is roughly one in forty four residents in our area. We provided 15,227 emergency food parcels and distributed 142 tonnes of food, enough for 137,043 meals.
These numbers describe thousands of stories where help arrived at the right moment. They show how common financial crisis has become for households who work hard yet still cannot make ends meet.
| Measure | 2024 to 25 figure | What this means |
|---|---|---|
| Food parcels provided | 15,227 | Roughly one meal every four minutes |
| People supported | 15,299 | More people than the population of our largest bank outlet locality |
| Children supported | 5,573 | Families under sustained pressure |
| Food distributed | 142 tonnes | Equal to 137,043 meals |
More than a parcel: advice that boosts a household budget
Emergency food is only the first step. Many people need help to stabilise their finances, understand entitlements or deal with urgent bills. On site advisers provide this support.
Last year households gained or saved a combined £419,453 through benefits checks, debt advice and related guidance. The average gain per household was more than £650. This often prevents further crisis and gives people room to breathe. If you want to explore the detail, our full impact report sets out exactly how this work changes household budgets across our area.
Café style outlets that offer space, dignity and support
We are reshaping how our outlets work so they feel welcoming, calm and human rather than transactional. Four outlets now run as community cafés where people can sit down, have something warm to eat and talk with volunteers.
These sessions create time for simple conversations that often lead to the right support. Volunteers signpost people to mental health services, housing teams, employment training and other help that sits beyond the food bank. The aim is to reduce stigma, build confidence and create spaces where people feel part of a community, not alone in a crisis.
The Bridge Food Project and the path beyond crisis
Alongside emergency food, The Bridge Food Project helps people move towards stability. Members can access roughly £4 of food for every £1 they spend. Many save more than £30 a week and most do not need the food bank any more once they are part of the project.
The Bridge gives people control over their weekly food budget and supports wellbeing, planning and confidence. It fills the gap between short term crisis support and long term food security. Donor support makes this possible.
A long term vision: reducing the need for food banks
Our long term plan is simple. We want to reduce the number of people reaching crisis point. Emergency food will always matter, but the real change comes through early support, access to advice, stronger local partnerships and community spaces that reduce isolation.
The steps you have seen here are part of a strategic shift towards prevention. The goal is a future where fewer neighbours need a food bank at all.
Thank you for supporting your neighbours
Your support keeps our shelves stocked, strengthens advice services and helps community cafés run every week. You help through supermarket donation points, regular giving, workplace collections and support for The Bridge Food Project.
If you want to understand the year in full, our impact report sets out the complete picture. Thank you for standing with your neighbours at Christmas and throughout the year.
