Get Help

How to get help

How to get a referral

At Haywards Heath Foodbank our referral agencies contact us directly by phone, email or electronically:

  • If you have had a referral before, please contact your referral agency by phone or email, who will take your details and then contact us on your behalf.
  • If you have never used our Foodbank before, you will need to contact a referral agency such as:
    • doctors surgeries: Cuckfield & The Vale, Dolphin, Lindfield, Newtons, Northlands Wood, Ouse Valley Practice Handcross & Balcombe
    • schools: all primary and  secondary schools in Haywards Heath and the surrounding villages can make a referral
    • health visitors, children & family centres, council children’s services, social workers
    • housing associations and council housing needs team
    • Citizens Advice Bureau: Haywards Heath office is open Mon-Fri 9.30am-4pm. Please contact them by phone or email if possible. They have a limited number of pre-booked face-to-face appointments. There is also a free national helpline run jointly by Citizens Advice and Trussell Trust called Help Through Hardship – see below.

Free National Helpline: Help Through Hardship

If you can’t afford food, you can call 0808 2082138 for free, open Monday to Friday, 10am to 4pm. You’ll confidentially talk to a trained Citizens Advice agent and, if needed, they’ll issue you with a food bank voucher. They can also help address your crises and provide support to maximise your income, help you navigate the benefits system, and identify any additional grants you could be entitled to.

Collection and Delivery of Food Parcels

You can arrange to collect your food parcels in person from our distribution centre, which is open on Tuesdays 11am-1pm and Thursdays 10-12am. You will be contacted beforehand to confirm a collection day and time and asked about any specific dietary or other requirements.

If you are unable to come in person, we can still deliver to your home, usually either on a Wednesday or Friday morning, between 10am and 1pm. You will be contacted before the delivery to confirm day and time.

If you cannot contact a referral agency directly, you can contact us on 07884 106719.

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