About Us

Helping Since 2011

Canterbury Food Bank

We became a charity in 2013 and our vision is to live in a society where food banks are no longer necessary.

We deliver three-day emergency parcels to people in financial crisis across Canterbury, Whitstable, Herne Bay and the surrounding villages. 

Each parcel contains enough food to make nine meals.

In a country where there are twice as many food banks as McDonalds restaurants, we distribute five times more food than we did five years ago and demand shows little sign of slowing down. 

In the past year we have delivered more than 15,000 parcels to homes in the district, containing enough food to make 135,000 meals. 

The charity has a small staff, which manages a dedicated team of 200 volunteers. 

 

But we don’t just hand out food. 

Behind the scenes we are working hard to undermine the reasons why people need to use this charity, from offering each client a bespoke benefits check to signposting them to other organisations in the community and in the health service. 

Debt drives people to food banks and we’re tackling that problem head-on with a specialist adviser who also helps to fill out forms.

We know that you will continue to support us because the battle isn’t over yet. 

Food poverty isn’t going away until a government decides that it has to. 

Until then, your generosity is what stands between a decent life and an empty plate. Thank you. 

Founded

Canterbury Food Bank began as a community project developed by a group of local churches in 2011.

Registered Charity

Registered charity status achieved

Operations Director

Current Operations Director Angela Gardiner appointed

Signposting Service

Our Signposting Service was introduced to ensure people could access the wider support they needed, helping them find long-term solutions as well as immediate food assistance. Initially with one signposter attending our distribution cafes, the team has now grown to four.

COVID Emergency Response

Our COVID emergency response saw Canterbury Food bank move away from distribution centres to a delivery model to comply with social distancing measures. This worked very well and we have continued to provide a delivery service since.

Warehouse Move

Major premises move. Canterbury food bank relocated to our current Whitstable warehouse.

Cost of Living Crisis

The cost of living crisis saw demand for Food Bank support rising very sharply.

Digitalisation

An innovative software solution developed in-house by one of our talented volunteers enabled us to move to a next-working-day delivery model, helping us reach people in crisis the next working day after their call.

Social Value

An independent assessment showed the impact of Canterbury Food Bank’s work, demonstrating that for every £1 invested, £6.55 of social value was created — with significant benefits seen in health, wellbeing and access to wider support. This later rose to £6.99 per £1, as last audited in 2026.

Today

Canterbury Food Bank continues to serve Canterbury, Whitstable, Herne Bay and surrounding villages. Canterbury food bank delivered over 15000 food parcels in 2025 at an increase of 111.4% since 2021

Our Team

Our team handles the day-to-day operations of Canterbury Food Bank. Liaising with agencies and clients to provide support. They manage donation, delivery and volunteering logistics whilst supporting referrals and clients.

Angela Gardiner

Operations Director

Liam Waghorn

Operations Manager

Tamila Senko

Finance Manager

Francesca Woods

Volunteer Coordinator

Andrea Moorhouse

Volunteer Coordinator

Mike

Signposting Lead

Julia

Signposter

Steph

Signposter

TBC

Signposter

Alison Allington

Fundraising Partner

Paul Uden

Warehouse Assistant

Maria

Link Worker

Trustees

Our trustees are the guardians of Canterbury Food Bank’s mission. This includes making big-picture strategic decisions, managing the charity’s finances and assets whilst ensuring compliance. 

David Holt

Chair of Trustees

Joined March 2020

Penny Nicholls

Deputy Chair

Joined January 2020

Alun Edwards

Treasurer

Joined August 2021

Adam Ratcliffe

Fundraising Chair

Joined October 2024

Ian Riddell

Fundraising Deputy Chair

Joined June 2019

Peter Taylor-Gooby

Trustee

Joined February 2016

Keji Moses

Trustee

Joined October 2024

Francesca Milne

Trustee

Joined June 2026

Sarah Wren

Trustee

Joined June 2026

Volunteers

We have over 200 permanent and seasonal volunteers. Collecting & sorting donations, delivering to clients, packing food parcels, fundraising, attending events, raising awareness and coming together through the power of a committed cause to help our community.

Want to join us? See our volunteering opportunities available