The Banbury Foodbank in Oxfordshire is calling for urgent donations after a busy winter season left some of its shelves low. As of January 30, 2026, the charity said it was looking for specific long-life items to help local residents who are struggling to afford the basics during the coldest months of the year.
Staff say they have enough pasta, cereal and beans for now, but they are running short of tinned meats (for example, ham or stew), long-life UHT milk, and tinned fruit and vegetables. You can see a full, live list of what is currently needed on the Give Food website, which tracks local inventory to help people buy the right items when they go shopping.
There are several places across the town where residents can drop off donations. St Joseph’s Church on Edmunds Road accepts items on Mondays and Wednesdays from 10:00am to 12:00pm, while The Church Centre on Horsefair takes donations on Tuesdays during the same morning hours.
St Francis Church in Highlands also takes donations on Thursdays between 10:00am and 12:00pm, and again in the evening from 6:00pm to 7:30pm. For those who want to donate while they shop, permanent collection points are located at Tesco Extra (Lockheed Close, Banbury retail park) and Sainsbury’s on Oxford Road.
The foodbank, which is part of the Trussell Trust network, operates a referral-only system: people in need must obtain an e-referral code from local agencies (such as Citizens Advice) before collecting food. Along with food donations, the group is recruiting new trustees to bolster its leadership as demand for its services in the Banbury area remains high.
About this article: This story was put together with the help of AI tools and checked by a real person on our team. We're a small crew trying to cover as much of the UK as we can on a limited budget. We're getting better every day - but we're not perfect yet. If something looks off, let us know. You're part of the process.
