House of Giving: Dagenham’s Front Line Against Hunger
Emdad Rahman
The House of Giving Foodbank in Dagenham has become a vital lifeline for hundreds of local residents navigating the sharp edges of the cost of living crisis.
Doors are open to families, pensioners and children, who are provided food packs, toiletries, essential household items and sanitary products that keep daily life moving forward.
Barking & Dagenham is one of London’s hardest hit boroughs. Rising rents, soaring energy bills and food prices have pushed many working households to the brink.
Nationally, more than 10 million people in the UK are estimated to be food insecure, with charities warning that one in five children now lives in a household struggling to afford enough food. Locally, those figures have faces.
“I never thought I’d need a foodbank,” said one mother of two collecting a parcel. “I work, I budget, but after rent and bills there’s nothing left. House of Giving is helping me feed my kids without choosing between food and heating. It is giving me breathing space.”
The House of Giving Foodbank offers tins and packets, but also toiletries and sanitary products, often overlooked, are treated as essentials rather than luxuries. Volunteers at the launch took time to listen local neighbours, recognising that hunger is as much about isolation and stress as it is about empty cupboards.
An organiser explained why the service matters now more than ever. “People assume foodbanks are for emergencies, but this has become a sustained crisis. We’re seeing nurses, carers, delivery drivers; people in work, who simply can’t keep up. We step in because communities can’t wait for slow solutions when children are hungry today.”
Volunteers are the backbone of the operation, reflecting a wider national trend as communities fill widening gaps in the safety net. In Barking & Dagenham, where resilience has long been forged through shared hardship, neighbours are stepping up for neighbours.
The foodbank’s work has been strengthened by generous local partnerships.
A massive, heartfelt thank you goes to Tesco for its kind and practical support in helping organise donations and supplies. That backing has translated directly into fuller shelves and steadier support for families in need.
Life in Barking & Dagenham is marked by hard work, pride and community spirit.
The House of Giving Foodbank stands as proof that, even amid rising poverty and uncertainty, collective action can soften the blow. It is not a solution to hunger, but it is hope, packed into a bag and offered with care.
