Frequently Asked Questions

We review cases on an ongoing basis to ensure we are indeed fulfilling our mission to provide emergency food parcels. To that end, we work with our referring partners to ensure clients receive all the help they need to get back on their feet. Some clients however will not be able to do so for reasons out of their control, for example people seeking asylum / refugees who are waiting for official paperwork to be processed or clients with significant mental health issues.

We are here to help anyone in South Bucks who is finding it difficult to put food on the table.

Requests for food parcels come through our referring partners and a full list can be downloaded here. If you need a parcel but are not currently working with one of our referring partners, you can contact the Bucks Helping Hand team on 01296 531151 and they will be very happy to help.

Our food parcels have been designed by a food nutritionist to ensure they are as healthy as possible and adequate too. All parcels contain ambient products including tinned vegetables, cereals, soup, rice, milk and meat meals. We pack food parcels according to the size of the household and we also take into consideration any dietary requirements or allergies.

In the first in a series of parcels, assuming availability, we provide a store cupboard bag which contains non-perishable items such as teabags, coffee, sugar, ketchup and cooking oil.

All parcels contain fresh fruit and vegetables, eggs, bread and other bakery items. At certain times of the year, we are lucky enough to receive donations of produce from allotments and, resource permitting, we provide recipe bags containing all the required ingredients to make healthy and nutritious dishes.

All parcels contain toilet roll and on the first week in a series of parcels, we provide other toiletries such as shampoo, toothpaste and deodorant. We supply sanitary items for females and we do our best to accommodate specific needs.

Again, where supplies permit, we can provide baby formula, nappies or solid food for older babies and toddlers, should such items be required.
Sometimes we can include household items such as laundry powder and bleach too.

The aim of our food parcels is to supplement store cupboard items and any other food that clients may have. Many foodbanks only provide 3 days’ worth of food. One Can Trust typically provides enough food to provide 3 meals a day for 5 or 7 days, depending on circumstance.

Referring partners can recommend up to 4 weeks’ worth or food in one referral. If clients still need food aid once their referral comes to an end, referrers can contact us again and extend parcels for up to a further 4 weeks. Typically, at the end of the 3rd cycle, an in-house team reviews cases to ensure clients are receiving enough support to help them get back on their feet.

Please click here to see our up-to-date list of ‘Wants and Needs’ for items we currently need and items we are unable to accept.

Please ensure food is within its ‘Best Before’ date, packaging is intact and ingredient information is clearly visible. The ‘Best Before’ date provides a guidance for the quality of food whereas the ‘Use By’ date indicates safety. We don’t hand out food in food parcels past its ‘Use By’ date.

The hugely successful Street Hero campaign was borne during the first lockdown in 2020 when fewer people visited supermarkets. We believe that 90% of the donated food during the first lockdown came from the Street Hero campaign.

To meet the growing demand, we are keen to find new Street Heroes. Could you help and join an amazing team of volunteers? Find out more here.

Yes! We welcome donations of fresh fruit and vegetables, in particular surplus allotment produce. We welcome donations of fresh eggs and bakery products also so long as within ‘Best Before’ dates. Please be mindful that we don’t open over the weekend so any food that is donated on a Friday, cannot be distributed in food parcels until the following Monday.

We are funded in a number of ways and are extremely grateful to everyone who supports us, no matter how large or how small the donation. Donations come from organisations such as churches, local businesses, rotary clubs and other local groups. Individuals from the community are incredibly generous too. We also hold fundraising events and receive money from organisations such as Bucks Council.

Regular gifts of money are invaluable as they help us plan ahead and ensure sustainability for the organisation. 

One off donations are equally valuable – we still have rates, phones bills and electricity bills to pay in addition to buying food for client food parcels.

It may also be possible for you to Gift Aid your donations to us. You can donate online, by bank transfer or by sending us a cheque. We can accept cash donations too.

Find out more on our Donate money page. 

We have a wide range of volunteer roles available. Find out more via the ‘Getting Involved’ tab and chose the ‘Volunteer’ drop down option. Alternatively, call us on 01494 512277, email: office@onecantrust.org.uk

All volunteers need to complete our volunteer registration form which can be downloaded by clicking here.

No. Information we receive from our referring partners is treated in strictest confidence.  Only in the event of a safeguarding concern, would we share data with appropriate authorities to keep clients, staff and volunteers safe.