Find your way to make a difference

The easiest way at the moment is to visit our Amazon Wish List which we keep this list fresh with the items we need.

You can donate also through other platforms.  Donate here

Similar to clothing donations, we ask that all sleeping bags be washed, dried and aired prior to donation. 

We would like please sleeping bags in a compression sack. The reason for this is that they are easy to carry as some of our clients walk many miles with their belongings. They are generally easy to manage, for us to store and for our clients to use. We respectfully request they should be of a nearly new condition without holes, rips or tears.

We can accept brand new, but unfortunately we are not able to accept previously used duvets or pillows for personal hygiene reasons. They are also not practical to use in a tent for street homeless individuals, they can stay damp, which encourages harmful spores and mould.

If you do not think your old clothing will suit our needs, then there are a number of recycling facilities for fabrics and clothing around Newbury. Tesco at Pinchington Lane near the retail park has a clothing collection point and also the West Berkshire Recycling Centre on Newtown Road are two examples.

If dropping off to the Recycling Centre, please do not forget your entry permit.

We can typically accept most items of clothing, though we ask that you contact us first as sometimes we have excess stocks of some garments. 

Practical clothes thar are comfortable and suitable a rough sleeper or somone in need of a set of clothes.

We ask that all items of clothing be washed, dried and aired prior to donation. We respectfully request that clothing should be of a nearly new condition without holes, rips or tears. 

Similarly we request that donated items come from a smoke free and pet free household.

We are not able to accept underwear for personal hygiene reasons.

Our homeless and rough sleepers do take away food from us at the end of each session. Plastic potted foods like Pot Noodles, Quaker Oat So Simple Pots or Mugshot Pasta and Noodle flavours are easy to be transported and eaten with simple boiled water.

We can provide flasks of hot water to help with this.

We have donation bins throughout the area (Newbury and Hungerford) which have a shopping list attached. This will give you an idea of what we require. Thank you.

You can find our donation bins at

Co-op (Wash Common),

Lidl (A4) London Rd, Newbury

Tesco (A4) London Rd Newbury

Tesco Pinchington Lane, Newbury

Southern Co-op (Speen) .

Bradfield Southend Village Post Office

The Emporium Hungerford

This can be tricky for us, we are open Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday evenings for our food provision sessions.

Unfortunately we cannot accept pre cooked unsealed food.  All food donations require full provenance, clearly marked allergens and to be within  'use by' dates or 'best before' dates. 

Ad hoc food donations should be agreed in advance and discussed with our Kitchen Coordinator or Operations Manager.

We receive a fantastic source of food donations from local suppliers such as supermarkets and bakeries. 

We are also able to source ingredients from the Foodbank. Sometimes the generosity of the public is so overwhelming that we end up donating some food back to the Foodbank. 

We recommend that if you have any unwanted packet or tinned food, then you please contact the Foodbank in the first instance. Please be aware that all food stuffs should be within 'Best Before Dates' and with no damage and properly sealed and unused. Thank you.

We are afraid we cannot accept such donations of homemade food. We have to adhere to strict protocols to maintain our Food Hygiene Rating and we insist that anybody who cooks for us has the Food Hygiene Level 2 qualification too. 

All food that is provided must have full provenance, be sealed and in date.

Allowing outside or third party cooking could render us in breach of these Food Standard Agency strict protocols.

Simply for safeguarding reasons, people under the age of 18 are unable to volunteer at the Soup Kitchen. Sorry.

Our need for volunteers changes on a regular basis. Please keep an eye out for positions appearing on our Facebook social media channel and also our Roles & Volunteering page too. Please be aware that an Enhanced DBS check for vulnerable adults is required and we ask for (and check) references.

Absolutely yes. Unfortunately we are unable to allow people under the age of 18 into the Soup Kitchen during opening hours. We would welcome you to come to our HQ at 1 Hambridge Lane RG14 5TU.

Tuesday 9.30am – 12pm, Wednesday 9.30am -3pm and Thursday 9.30am – 3pm

We will be happy to explain to your students what Newbury Soup Kitchen is all about and how they can help. All we ask is that you contact us to make an appointment in the first instance so we can allocate you some time.

To protect the privacy, safety and anonymity of our vulnerable clients, we do not allow people to simply turn up at our sessions without prior arrangement. 

Our work involves supporting people who may be homeless, vulnerably housed or experiencing difficult circumstances, and it is important that they feel safe and confident in the environment we provide. 

All volunteers, visitors and professionals working with Newbury Soup Kitchen are required to complete the appropriate DBS checks where applicable. 

If you would like to visit or find out more about our work, please contact our operations manager in advance to arrange an appointment.