Food banks, free apps, community fridges, delivery schemes — every way to get food when money's gone. No shame. No judgement. Just food.
These apps put free or nearly-free food in your hands. Most people have never heard of them. Download all of them today.
OLIO is a sharing app where neighbours and local shops post food they'd otherwise throw away — completely free. Bread, veg, tins, cooked food, snacks. You request it, you collect it. Some areas are busier than others but it's worth having on your phone.
Local shops and supermarkets also post surplus stock through OLIO Food Waste Heroes — this is how Tom got loads of food from his local area, including enough to give some away.
Restaurants, cafes, bakeries, supermarkets sell their end-of-day surplus in "magic bags" for £2–£5. You pick up at a set time (usually closing). A £3 bag from Greggs, Pret, or a local restaurant can easily be worth £10–£15 of food.
Not 100% free — but genuinely cheap. A family can eat well for £5–£10 using this app regularly. Brilliant if you have even a small budget.
Freecycle and Freegle are community groups where people give away things they don't need — completely free. Food comes up regularly (tinned goods, pantry clearouts, bulk buys people can't finish). Also great for household items, furniture, clothes.
Similar to Too Good To Go — restaurants sell surplus meals at up to 50% off through Karma. More restaurant-focused, good in cities. Worth having alongside TGTG as some businesses are on one but not the other.
Oddbox, Wonky Veg, and similar services deliver imperfect (but perfectly edible) fruit and veg rejected by supermarkets. Boxes from £10–£15 deliver a week's worth of fresh veg. Much cheaper than supermarket prices.
Food banks exist because the system fails people. Using one isn't a failure — it's using a resource that's specifically there for moments like this. Millions of people use them. You're not alone and you don't need to be embarrassed.
Can't get to a food bank? No car, disability, kids, anxiety? Ask if they deliver. Many Trussell Trust banks and independent banks now offer home delivery — especially post-COVID. It's not always advertised. Ring the number on their page and ask directly: "Do you offer home delivery?"
GP, school, JobCentre, Citizens Advice, council — any of these can give you a food bank referral. If you're struggling to get one quickly, call Citizens Advice: 0800 144 8848 (free). They can arrange a referral same day in most areas.
All children in Reception, Year 1, and Year 2 get free school meals automatically. From Year 3, it's means-tested — you qualify if you're on UC with income under £7,400, or certain other benefits.
Apply through your council. It's fast, free, and most people who qualify don't bother applying.
If you're at least 10 weeks pregnant or have a child under 4, and you're on UC, Income Support, or Child Tax Credit — you qualify for Healthy Start. £4.25/week in vouchers for milk, fruit, veg, and infant formula.
OLIO + Too Good To Go + yellow sticker shopping = most of your food sorted for almost nothing. Not every day, not perfect — but consistent. Put all three on your phone. Check OLIO daily. Set TGTG alerts. Shop at 7pm. That's the system.
Got a food bank delivery and have more than you need? Got TGTG bags stacking up? Post it on OLIO. Give it to a neighbour. Drop it at a community fridge. What goes around comes around — and someone near you needs it right now.
That's the whole point of this network. You learn it. You use it. You tell others. Then when you're sorted, you help someone else get sorted too.
Too Good To Go is a free app where local cafes, supermarkets, and restaurants sell surplus food at the end of the day for £2–£5 a bag. You'd normally pay £10–£20 for the same food. Works in most UK towns and cities. No subscription, no catch — just cheap food that would otherwise be binned.
Download Too Good To Go →Also worth checking: Olio app — free food and stuff from neighbours. Literally free.
Social supermarkets let you shop like normal but pay almost nothing — typically £3–£5 membership gets you a trolley of food worth £20–£30+. Community pantries work the same way. They run on supermarket surplus, donations, and food waste redistribution. Most people don't know they exist in their area.
How to find one near you:
Examples: Borderlands (Newcastle area), Fare Share community shops, FareShare Go outlets, Your Local Pantry network across UK.
Find Your Local Pantry →Google's AI (Gemini) is free and genuinely good at finding local resources that don't rank well on normal search. Open it and ask:
"Free food near me in [your town] — food banks, community pantries, social supermarkets, OLIO pickup points, surplus food this week"
It pulls from multiple sources including local news, council pages and community sites that Google's main results bury. ChatGPT (also free) works the same way. Use both. The AI finds the stuff no one else knows to search for.
Ask Gemini Free → Ask ChatGPT Free →If you're pregnant or have a child under 4 and you're on certain benefits (UC, Child Tax Credit, Income Support), you qualify for Healthy Start vouchers. You get a prepaid card loaded with money to spend on milk, fruit, veg, and vitamins at most supermarkets.
Apply for Healthy Start →Worth £4.25–£8.50/week depending on your situation. Most people who qualify don't claim it.
Pregnant or have a child under 4 on UC, Child Tax Credit or Income Support? You get a prepaid card for milk, fruit, veg and vitamins at most supermarkets. Worth £4.25–£8.50 per week. Most people who qualify never claim it.
Apply for Healthy Start →Free app. Local cafes, supermarkets and restaurants sell surplus food for £2–£5 a bag at end of day. Normally £10–£20 worth. Works in most UK towns. Also check Olio — free food from neighbours.
Download Too Good To Go →This is only free if you repay the full balance before your statement date. Carry a balance = ~23.9% APR. That's expensive debt.
✅ Use it if: Income is coming in, you can repay within a few weeks, no existing balance.
❌ Skip it if: You're already in debt, can't repay in full, or you'd spend it on takeaways you can't afford.
Already struggling with debt? Break the Cycle → or No Loans →
No money for food right now? Here's the 3-step free short-term food loan. Zero interest if you repay on time. Works this week.
Step 1 — Get PayPal Credit: Apply at PayPal Credit online — instant decision, 5 mins. It's a credit line, not a card. Interest-free if you pay before statement date.
Step 2 — Move cash via Revolut: Send money from PayPal to your Revolut account using "send to a friend". Withdraw to your bank instantly.
Step 3 — Spend on Too Good To Go: Download Too Good To Go. Pick up a magic bag from a local cafe or supermarket for £2–£5 — normally £10–£20 worth of food. Eat well this week for almost nothing.
Repay PayPal before statement date = zero interest. Free food. Free loan. Full guide →
Get PayPal Credit → Too Good To Go →