Basics Banks: How To Get Help
If you are in need of emergency food and/or clothing help, you will need to be referred to the Basics Bank by one of our trusted partners. We call them our Referral Agents. This is so that someone other than ourselves can chat through your circumstances and assess your needs, as they may be able to suggest other organisations which can help in other ways too.
We now have approximately 1,500 referral agents across Southampton. Some examples of the kinds of organisations that refer people to us for help are: churches, Southampton based charities (such as No Limits, Two Saints, SARC, Amber Chaplains), housing associations, mental health services, Citizens Advice, debt charities, health visitors, hostels, housing services, nursing teams, children’s services, many different NHS departments including some GP surgeries, social services, addiction services, and some schools. A list of commonly used referral agents can be found here.
When a referral agent has agreed to refer you to the Basics Bank, they will fill in an online voucher with your details. With this voucher on our computer system you can go to any of the Basic Bank Food Venues to collect your food, and/or the Wednesday Clothes Venue if you need clothes. You don’t need to take any paper voucher, ticket, or form with you; your information will be available to our volunteers online when you get to the Basics Bank.
When you attend any of our Basics Bank Venues, you will be given a warm welcome, and be offered a drink and a chance to chat. If you are collecting food you will need to answer a few questions about any dietary restrictions or allergies you have, as well being given a few basic choices of what food you would prefer. Each of our food parcels contains a mix of tins, jars, and packets, as well as bread and fresh fruit & veg when available, and provides enough food for 4 days for each person recorded on your voucher.
Please be aware that 4 days of tinned and packet food for everyone in your family is often a lot to carry. If you can bring your own bags with you that will really help a lot. You will need to have arranged your own transport home, as our staff and volunteers are not allowed to give lifts or supply you with money for buses or taxis. We do not run a delivery service, just collection at venues.
We sort, store, and make clothes available to clients at one venue, where clients are able to shop for themselves. We restrict the clothes bank to one venue in order to maximise choice for the clients and therefore increase their chances of finding both what they need and what they like for themselves and their families.
We are an emergency food and clothing project, providing help for people to get through short-term crises, emergencies and problems that they encounter. We are not able to provide help for people on a long term basis and do not wish clients to develop any kind of dependency on our service. As such, in conversation and cooperation with our referral agents, we reserve the right to refuse food or clothing from any clients we feel are either abusing our service or becoming unhealthily dependent upon it.
While we are a Christian Mission and want everyone to know about the love and opportunity that Jesus has for them, we are committed to providing this practical help and assistance of food and clothes with no strings attached. We serve anyone of any background, belief or outlook with no obligation, and we are happy to do so.
All our food and clothes are donated by churches, schools, the public, and businesses. We sort, store, and make it available at various venues around the city on different days of the week.