Black Country Foodbank is Merry Hill’s Charity Partner for 2025! 10 July 2025

We’re thrilled to be supporting Black Country Foodbank as our charity partner for 2025!

Based just around the corner in Brierley Hill, they support 26 local food banks to assist individuals and families in crisis, whilst also working alongside 75 partner projects.

Our new partnership was announced back in April at our Easter EGGstravaganza, where we donated 500 Easter eggs for them to distribute!

As well as this, we’ve sponsored one of their vehicles for essential parcel delivery, and have a donation point for shoppers located on our Customer Services Desk (Lower Mall, near Holland & Barrett and Ernest Jones). You can check out their shortages list ahead of donating here.

This month, we paid a visit to their Warehouse to meet up with Keeley Jones, their Deputy CEO and Operations Manager to find out about her role, the vital work the Foodbank do and how our Merry Hill community can get involved.

MH: How long have you been working at the Black Country Foodbank?

K: I’ve been working at Black Country Foodbank for 10 months now, so just coming up to one year!

MH: How long has BCFB been going?

K: So next year it’ll be our 20th year of operation, so Black Country Foodbank started in 2006 at Chawn Hill Church in Stourbridge.

MH: What services do you offer?

K: We offer emergency food and toiletries provision to people in crisis – we have 26 food banks across the Black Country located in Dudley, Sandwell and Walsall.

In addition to the food banks, we offer other services, including a recipe bag project, cookery lessons with community groups, a community food garden, and a listening and signposting service.

MH: What partner projects do you support?

We support over 56 different partner projects – these are across community groups and statutory services; we support them with emergency parcels, surplus stock and also micro grants where they can buy food and toiletries for the people they’re working with.

This helps us to expand our reach and to make sure we’re helping people in all areas of the community.

MH: Is there a particular moment that will always be memorable to you?

There’s lots of memorable moments! I think the thing that always strikes me the most is when I talk to our wonderful volunteers – I’ve heard lots of stories from them about how volunteering’s changed their life.

A lot of our volunteers have previously accessed or used a food bank, and now they feel that it’s their turn to give back to their local community.

MH: What does someone need to do if they need your services?

K: If someone needs to access the food bank they need a voucher from a healthcare professional or housing provider, a school or GP, or any other frontline agency that might be supporting them.

If someone’s struggling to get a voucher, they can phone us here at Black Country Foodbank and we’ll help them to find an agency that can support them.

MH: What can Merry Hill shoppers do to help your cause?

K: Merry Hill shoppers can support us by donating physical items (food or toiletries) or by donating financially – either is really helpful!

Finances can help us as we can buy the items that we’re short of, and it also helps with keeping our vans on the road.

If you need help, what I would say is make the phone call – we get phone calls every day from people that have never used a food bank. Our staff are fully understanding and have empathy, and will listen to you and do everything that they can to help you get the support that you need.

Find our centre donation point at the Customer Services Desk on the Lower Mall, by Holland & Barrett and Ernest Jones.