Foodbank+
Foodbank+ at Bruntsfield (previously known as Basics Bank) is a ministry we run to try and help people in crisis in our city and local area. People are referred to us by various agencies and support teams and God gives us the glorious opportunity to provide food for them, build relationships with them, share our lives and the love of Jesus. It is a great privilege to be able to serve others like this and it connects us with people we would never meet in a church service.
Foodbank+ is run in partnership with Edinburgh City Mission, who help us with referrals and assist us on Friday mornings. Local churches, supermarkets and community groups serve us faithfully in providing supplies of tinned & dry food and toiletries. We are also supported by donations of fresh food through Cyrenians Fareshare and Waitrose.
God has always been faithful since 2012 when we started providing food with the generous help of many individuals, churches and other groups. We welcome donations of food and toiletries, ideally between 10:30am and 12.30pm on a Friday morning. For financial donations, or if you have questions about Foodbank+, please email foodbank@bruntsfield.org.uk
Those who come for help are able to enjoy coffee and a chat with team members while they wait for their food.
After careful consideration, we have decided to introduce a new referral system to replace the previous one, which was provided by Edinburgh City Mission. This will be introduced from 20 February 2026. However, current guests will have a grace period of 4 weeks, and won’t need a new referral until 20 March 2026.
The new system will include the following:
The new referral form will be distributed widely and is also available here:
We will accept referrals from the following postcodes: EH1; EH3-9; EH9; EH10; EH11; EH12; EH13 and EH14. There are Foodbanks in Granton (Tuesdays 1030-1230), Craigentinny (Tuesdays 1030-1230), Newington (Thursdays 1030-1230) and Moredun (Friday 1030-1230) which serve the other areas of the city.
A referrer can request up to six weeks attendance in every six months ie 4 X 6 weeks blocks per year. If the referrer believes that more than this is required, they will be able to discuss that with us and an exception may be agreed. Please contact us at fiona.watson@bruntsfield.org.uk
We will review the new process after three months. We are happy to hear any feedback and will include it in our review.
