Join Food & Solidarity Newcastle
Questions? Call us: 07393 101018 | Visit: 120-126 Buckingham St, Newcastle upon Tyne NE4 5QR

Hear from members — in their own words

Stella from Walker and Guy from Heaton talk about food parcels, housing support, and why they joined.

Members of Food and Solidarity Newcastle including Stella from Walker and Guy from Heaton, talking about their experiences with food parcels and housing support
Read transcript

0:00 Food & Solidarity is a member-led group, a community hub, that helps its members with food parcels for those who need food and also people facing housing issues.

0:09 Difficult landlords who aren't carrying out repairs that they should, or do unlawful evictions.

0:14 Support members and ensure that they get what's right, because some of these members don't know the law so they get what's right by law.

0:24 The members are open to discuss any other issues that they have, and if we can signpost them to other groups that can support them... we do that.

0:29 We support people to know what their rights are, but also to go beyond just what the law says! To put pressure on the landlord or the council or whoever to do what's right!

0:38 Sometimes the law is kind of lax and doesn't get enforced, or just allows them to do things which actually they shouldn't do. Even if it's not lawful... we kind of move across that boundary!

0:49 What is Food & Solidarity? We share everything in solidarity: liquid soap, tissue, oranges, onions, lettuce, apple, all manner of fruits.

1:08 It's really, really good, and it's helpful. With a little amount you can get what you want for the month... twice in a month... you will get two parcels... and that two parcels will help you extremely.

1:25 So we are doing a great job here! We are fine! We are happy! And we are in unity and love as well! Amazing!

1:49 Why is the work that Food & Solidarity are doing important? I think it's important to promote community solidarity, but also to make people aware that there are people there for them.

1:58 You know, it doesn't have to be the council or charities: people in your community are there to help you if you need it.

2:02 And also you can give back as well. You can help them. We're here to support each other. And I think that's really, really important: that people are aware that they've got someone to go to and someone who can support them.

"We support people to know what their rights are, but also to go beyond just what the law says!"

Sam in Cowgate, member since 2020

"It's really helpful... two parcels a month help extremely. We are happy and in unity!"

Stella in Walker, member since 2022

"People in your community are there to help you if you need it. We're here to support each other."

Guy in Heaton, member since 2022

What F&S has actually done

Since 2020, in no particular order:

  • 50+ food parcels go out every week. Members collect from Buckingham St twice a month — fresh produce, basics, no referral, no questions. Running continuously since 2020.
  • The two-child benefit cap is gone. Members launched No More Growing Up Poor at a members' meeting in Autumn 2024 — photo petition, actions in two cities, a march to Karen Kilgour's surgery, a Newcastle City Council motion passed in members' exact words. Abolished in the Autumn 2025 Budget.
  • Breamish House, 2025. Leaking ceilings, dangerous damp, years of ignored reports. Residents door-knocked, collected evidence, and delivered a collective letter to a council cabinet meeting. Repairs done within 24 hours.
  • Sarah and Jan Forster Estates, 2024. Years of unresolved disrepair, then a Section 21 — a revenge eviction. Members picketed, ran a public campaign exposing the landlord's record. The notice was rendered invalid and Sarah left six months later when she was ready.
  • Grace, 2024. Family facing Section 21 and landlord harassment. Members attended court with her. They kept their home.
  • All major energy firms ordered to suspend force-fitting of prepayment meters, February 2023. F&S had been running PPM and bailiff resistance workshops across Newcastle since the autumn — at the Star and Shadow, the Lubber Fiend, church halls reached by door-knocking. The PPM premium, which charged people more for being on a meter, was also abolished.
  • 7-day refugee evictions reversed, 2023. The Home Office had cut move-on periods from 28 to 7 days, pushing newly-recognised refugees into homelessness. F&S protested outside Mears' offices in Darlington. The 28-day period was restored.
Member wins and stories → Campaigns and victories → Press coverage →

What membership gets you

🏠

Help when your landlord won't

When landlords ignore repairs or try to evict you, members show up together. We don't wait to find out whether the eviction is legal — we've stood outside letting agents' offices and been to court with people. Evictions are political. We act like it.

Choose Your Contribution

Sliding scale — pay what fits your situation

£3/month

Unwaged workers

£4/month

Part-time/precarious workers

£10/month

Minimum waged workers

1 hour's wage

Higher wage earners

Where your fees go

Your fees go directly into running F&S. Food parcels go out twice a month. We can show up when a landlord ignores a repairs request or starts eviction proceedings. And F&S keeps running without needing grants or answering to donors — which matters for what we're able to do and say.

Member fees are the main source of income. We get occasional small grants, but there are no corporate sponsors and no charity shop — which means the organisation answers to members, not funders.

Food & Solidarity isn't a charity. We don't run means tests or decide who deserves help. Set your own fee based on what you earn. When someone in the group is being pushed around by a landlord or a council, we go with them.

"Food & Solidarity helped us face difficult landlords and get what's right by law."

Sue in Gosforth, member since 2023

Not in Newcastle? You can join as a non-parcel member from anywhere in the UK. Call 07393 101018 or fill in the form below.

Become a Member

380 members across Newcastle.

The form takes about 5 minutes. It asks for your name, address, contact details, which fee fits your situation, and whether you want food parcels.

See full breakdown of what the form asks

Page 1: your details

  • Full name
  • Home address — needed to arrange parcel deliveries and know which part of the city you're in. Not shared outside the organisation.
  • Email address
  • Phone number
  • Whether you want food parcels, or to join as a non-parcel member
  • Membership fee — choose what fits:
    • £3/month: unwaged
    • £4/month: part-time or precarious work
    • £10/month: minimum wage
    • £15/month: if you earn £15/hr
    • £20/month: if you earn £20/hr
    • £30/month: if you earn £30/hr
    • £50/month: if you earn £50/hr
    • £70/month: if you earn £70/hr

Page 2: what happens next

  • If you applied for parcel membership: we'll review your application and confirm if there's capacity. We'll be in touch within 24 hours.
  • If you applied as a non-parcel member: you'll be taken to GoCardless to set up your monthly Direct Debit.

Prefer to join by phone or in person?

📞 Call: 07393 101018 and we'll sign you up over the phone

📍 Visit: 120-126 Buckingham St, Newcastle upon Tyne NE4 5QR

We also accept Standing Order or Cash — just ask when you call or visit.

♿️ Access requirements or other languages? Call or email us before joining and we'll do what we can.

Join Now — Fill In the Form →

Or call 07393 101018 and we'll sign you up over the phone.

🔒 Your details are kept confidential and used only for membership.

What Happens After You Join?

  1. We'll email to confirm membership and payment details within 24 hours.
  2. In the first week, a member will call to welcome you and answer any questions.
  3. We'll add you to the WhatsApp groups for your area and whatever's on that week.
  4. Come to a general meeting — dates here. That's where decisions get made and where you'll meet people.
  5. We'll ask what you can help with. Saturday food runs are the most common starting point. If that doesn't work, we'll find something that does.

Turn up when you can. That's enough.