Welcome to Okehampton Food Bank
Neighbours Helping Neighbours Since 2008
Okehampton Food Bank began in 2008 with a simple belief: no one in our community should have to face hunger alone.
What started as a small local initiative has grown into an essential community service, supporting individuals and families experiencing financial hardship across Okehampton and the surrounding area.
Today, we operate as an independent registered charity from the Ockment Centre, supported by dedicated volunteers and the generosity of local residents, businesses, churches and community organisations.
Through changing times and growing challenges, our commitment remains the same: providing food, practical support and reassurance with dignity, compassion and kindness.
Our Story: From 2008 to Today
A Journey of Community, Compassion and Resilience
Our Beginnings – 2008
Okehampton Food Bank was established in 2008 by local residents who recognised that some people in their community were struggling to afford food.
What began as a small initiative, supporting just four or five families each week in its early years, soon became a trusted source of help for people experiencing hardship.
From the beginning, local residents, churches and businesses played a vital role in supporting the food bank. A £4,600 grant from Okehampton United Charities in 2010 helped strengthen its foundations and support its continued development.
Responding to Growing Need – 2011
As the needs of the local community changed, Okehampton Food Bank began supporting an increasing number of individuals and families experiencing financial hardship.
By 2011, the number of families seeking assistance had grown considerably. What had started as a small community initiative was becoming an increasingly important source of support for local people.
The response from the Okehampton community was remarkable. Local residents, churches and businesses came together, contributing approximately £12,000 in just six months to help the food bank meet the growing demand.
This generosity demonstrated the strength of Okehampton’s community spirit and established a tradition of local people supporting their neighbours that continues today.
The Pandemic and Cost of Living Crisis – 2020 onwards
The COVID-19 pandemic brought unprecedented challenges to communities across the country, and Okehampton was no exception. As families faced financial uncertainty, the demand for food support increased significantly.
The years that followed brought further difficulties as rising food prices, energy bills and housing costs placed additional pressure on household budgets. Increasingly, the food bank began supporting people who were in employment but still struggled to make ends meet. For many families, even regular earnings were no longer enough to cover essential living costs.
During this period, the food bank also extended its support to families arriving in the area after fleeing conflict overseas. Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Ukrainian refugees began arriving in the United Kingdom, including through the Government’s Homes for Ukraine scheme, which enabled British households to offer accommodation to people escaping the war. Okehampton Food Bank helped provide food and essential items to families as they began rebuilding their lives in a new country.
In early 2024, Okehampton Food Bank also welcomed and supported Afghan families who arrived in the area through the UK Government’s Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP). Introduced in 2021, the scheme provided a route to safety in the United Kingdom for eligible Afghan citizens who had worked for or alongside British forces and government departments in Afghanistan, together with eligible family members. Having left their home country following years of conflict and instability, these families faced the challenge of settling into an unfamiliar community.
Recognising that families arriving from different countries were accustomed to different foods, ingredients and cooking traditions, Okehampton Food Bank adapted its food provision to better meet their needs. Alongside its regular supplies, the food bank purchased additional ingredients, herbs, spices and culturally familiar foods, enabling families to continue preparing meals they knew and enjoyed.
This approach was about more than simply providing enough food. It recognised the importance of cultural identity, personal choice and the comfort of familiar meals, particularly for families who had experienced considerable upheaval. By listening to individual preferences and adapting its supplies, the food bank helped newly arrived families maintain a sense of familiarity and independence as they settled into life in Okehampton.
Throughout these challenging years, Okehampton Food Bank continued to respond with compassion and practical assistance, supported by the generosity of local residents, churches, businesses and dedicated volunteers. Whether helping established local households or families newly arrived in the community, the food bank remained committed to ensuring that everyone seeking support was treated with dignity, kindness and respect.
Alongside responding to these growing challenges, Okehampton Food Bank continued to improve its facilities and strengthen the support it could offer. An important milestone came in 2021, with the move into the church hall and a major refurbishment of the kitchen.
Improving Our Service – 2021
For many years, Okehampton Food Bank operated from within Okehampton Baptist Church, providing essential food support to local individuals and families experiencing financial hardship.
In 2021, following the appointment of a new Food Bank Coordinator, a programme of practical improvements began to modernise the service and respond to increasing demand.
One of the first changes was relocating the food bank from the main church area to the lower floor, within the church hall. This provided a more suitable space for storing, organising and displaying food, while allowing families to collect their provisions through a separate side entrance. The new arrangement improved accessibility, created a more welcoming environment and enabled volunteers to work more efficiently.
During the same period, the Food Bank Coordinator took on the role of Project Manager for a major refurbishment of the church’s professional kitchen. He was responsible for developing the kitchen design, planning the layout and facilities, preparing and managing the project budget, and overseeing the refurbishment through to completion. Through careful planning, financial control and effective project management, the new kitchen was successfully delivered on schedule and under budget, providing modern, professional facilities that significantly expanded the food bank’s ability to prepare healthy, nutritious meals for local families.
Following the refurbishment, the food bank became the principal user of the newly equipped kitchen. Volunteers were able to prepare healthy, nourishing food using everyday ingredients, introducing greater variety into the weekly food provision and helping families make the most of the food available.
As demand continued to grow, operations expanded to three days each week. Wednesdays were dedicated to purchasing supplies, replenishing stock and preparing for the weekly sessions, while food collections took place on Thursdays and Fridays.
These improvements helped establish a more organised, accessible and responsive service, better equipped to meet the changing needs of the local community.
A New Home in the Shop – February 2024
In February 2024, Okehampton Food Bank relocated from the church hall into the adjoining shop premises owned by Okehampton Baptist Church.
The move provided an opportunity to establish a dedicated food bank facility, with improved storage, better food displays and a more welcoming environment for individuals and families collecting food support.
The Food Bank Coordinator personally undertook and managed the complete refurbishment and fitting-out of the shop, carrying out the work in his own time, alongside his existing responsibilities.
The project involved transforming the premises into a fully functioning food bank, including the installation of fittings, equipment and essential facilities needed to support the service.
Through careful planning, practical work and effective management of resources, the refurbishment was completed on time and within budget.
The newly refurbished premises provided a more organised setting where families could select food and essential household items according to their individual needs, helping preserve dignity, independence and choice.
The completed shop represented a substantial investment of personal time, effort and resources, demonstrating the commitment to developing a modern food bank capable of meeting the growing needs of the Okehampton community.
A New Beginning – July 2024
Just a few months after Okehampton Food Bank relocated into its newly refurbished shop premises in February 2024, the deacons of Okehampton Baptist Church decided to close the church’s food bank operation.
The decision brought an unexpected end to sixteen years of food bank provision at the church, closing what had become one of its principal areas of practical community outreach and support for people experiencing hardship.
The closure occurred during a period of significant change in the church’s leadership. Revd. Cliff Jackson had resigned as Chair of the Food Bank Committee in January 2024 and subsequently left his position as Minister of Okehampton Baptist Church in August 2024.
The food bank’s assets, including equipment and resources accumulated through many years of community donations and support, were transferred to Okehampton Community Kitchen CIC.
At the time of the transfer in July 2024, Okehampton Community Kitchen was a Community Interest Company (CIC), not a registered charity. A CIC is a limited company established for community benefit and operates under a different legal and regulatory framework from a charity.
However, the closure of the church’s food bank operation did not mean the end of Okehampton Food Bank.
Determined that local families should not lose access to essential food support, the existing team of volunteers came together to continue the service independently.
Within just a few weeks, the same dedicated volunteers had successfully re-established Okehampton Food Bank at the Ockment Centre in North Street, preserving the knowledge, experience and community relationships built over many years.
The move marked the beginning of a new chapter. The independently re-established Okehampton Food Bank subsequently gained its own charitable status, registering with the Charity Commission on 25 February 2025 as The Okehampton Foodbank, charity number 1212284.
Although the premises and organisational arrangements had changed, the volunteers’ commitment to helping local people experiencing hardship remained unchanged.
Our Identity and Continuing Commitment
Supporting the Okehampton Community Since 2008
Okehampton Food Bank has been supporting local individuals and families experiencing food poverty since 2008. What began as a small community initiative has developed into an established and trusted service, made possible by the generosity of local residents, businesses, churches and dedicated volunteers.
Although the food bank’s organisational arrangements changed in July 2024, its commitment to the local community remained unchanged. Following the closure of the food bank operation at Okehampton Baptist Church, the existing volunteer team worked together to continue the service independently.
The food bank retained its experienced volunteers, established referral arrangements and commitment to providing practical support with dignity, compassion and respect.
On the 25th of February 2025, The Okehampton Foodbank was formally registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales as an independent Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO), registered charity number 1212284.
This marked an important milestone, providing the continuing food bank service with its own independent charitable identity, governance and trustees.
Understanding the Two Food Bank Charities in Okehampton
We recognise that there are now two separately registered charities operating under similar food bank names in Okehampton. We believe it is important that local residents, donors and people seeking assistance can clearly distinguish between them.
The Okehampton Foodbank – Charity 1212284
Our charity continues the food bank service established in 2008, operating from the Ockment Centre with the volunteers who maintained the service following the July 2024 closure.
Our official website is:
Okehampton Community Kitchen and Foodbank – Charity 1214881
A separate organisation, Okehampton Community Kitchen and Foodbank, was registered as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation on 10 September 2025. It also uses the name Okehampton Community Foodbank.
Its website is:
The two charities are legally distinct, with separate charitable registrations, trustees, governance arrangements and finances.
For historical clarity, when Okehampton Baptist Church transferred the former food bank’s assets to Okehampton Community Kitchen in July 2024, the receiving organisation was a Community Interest Company (CIC), not a registered charity. The separately named CIO was not registered until September 2025.
We provide this information solely to help visitors understand the distinction between the organisations and identify the charity they intend to support.
Donations made through www.okehamptonfoodbank.co.uk support The Okehampton Foodbank, registered charity 1212284.
Our Commitment Today
Today, The Okehampton Foodbank continues to provide food, fresh produce, essential household items and practical support to individuals and families experiencing financial hardship.
Operating from the Ockment Centre in North Street, we offer a choice-based service that enables people to select food and essential items appropriate to their household’s needs, preferences and circumstances.
We work alongside local community partners, including Citizens Advice and Community Links, to help people access wider support where needed.
Our principal food bank session takes place every Thursday, 9.30 am to 12.30 pm, with food support accessed through our established referral arrangements.
We remain deeply grateful to the volunteers, donors, local businesses, churches and community organisations whose continued generosity makes our work possible.
Our premises and charitable structure may have changed, but our purpose remains the same: neighbours helping neighbours and ensuring that local people facing hardship can access food and support with dignity.
The Okehampton Foodbank – Supporting Our Community Since 2008.