The Swale Foodbank gave out 2,181 emergency food parcels to people in the Swale area, including residents of Sittingbourne, Kent, during 2025. This support provided more than 53,400 meals to local residents facing financial pressure throughout the year.
Project manager Esther Hurwood said the charity is seeing more working families coming through the doors, including nurses and ambulance drivers. The figures, highlighted by the foodbank in January 2026, show that demand for help remains high as many people struggle with the cost of living.
The foodbank is part of the Trussell Trust network and operates from a warehouse at Stadium Business Park. Residents can pick up their food parcels from local sites such as the Rhema Miracle Centre on East Street, Holy Trinity Parish Hall, and Sittingbourne Baptist Church.
Many people are referred to the foodbank by partner agencies — including GPs, schools, social services and local council teams — after being identified as needing help with high bills or benefit delays. Charity Commission records show the group is registered as charity number 1190373. The foodbank’s mission states: “We don’t think anyone in our community should have to face going hungry.”
The high number of parcels follows a trend reported locally and nationally — including reporting by Kent Online — that public sector workers have had to use foodbanks. Each parcel contains at least three days’ nutritionally balanced food to help families during a crisis.
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