Here2Help - help with food

If you receive benefits or have a low income, your child may be eligible for free school meals.

Following changes to government funding, the Household Support Fund ended on 31 March 2026. This means the Council can no longer continue to provide the seasonal supermarket vouchers in the same way as it has done previously. 

After negotiation with the government, councils across the UK have been granted permission to deliver one final round of the supermarket voucher scheme. In Solihull we have decided to provide this to families in time for the summer holidays as we know the summer can be a period when families can experience greater financial challenges. Further details have been provided to families who are eligible to receive the vouchers. A supermarket voucher of £20 per eligible child will be sent out to parents by 7 July 2026.

In the interim, a range of extra help will continue to be available to families and can be found on the Council website here: Here2Help. This includes information on the Holiday Activity and Food Programme, local Family Hubs, food banks and social supermarkets, as well as several other discretionary crisis related schemes 

The Household Support Fund is being replaced by a new Crisis and Resilience Fund and under the rules of this new fund, all families will need to be assessed before additional help can be provided. More details will be available on the Council website in due course.

Families who are in receipt of benefit-related free school meals are also eligible to book school aged children, from reception to year 11, into HAF funded activities. Activities are free to access and include enjoyable activities and a healthy meal.

They will run during Easter, summer, and Christmas school holidays as well as some half term holidays.

Visit our HAF webpage.

If you’re more than ten weeks pregnant or have a child under four years old, you may be entitled to get help to buy healthy food and milk.

Visit the Healthy Start website

Helping Hands is an emergency food bank service. Emergency food parcels can be collected from our Family Hubs. They can also be delivered in exceptional circumstances. 

How to access

Helping Hands work on a referral basis only. If you or someone you know need to access this service, please call Solihull Council on 0121 704 8001 to request a referral.

We Care UK provides an emergency “out of hours” food parcel delivery service to support those who are facing an emergency or crisis.

Food parcel delivery times are anytime between 5.00pm to 10.00pm.

How to access

If you or someone you know need to use this service, please call Solihull Council on  0121 704 8001.

Smiths Wood

• address: Auckland Hall, 25 Sunbeam Close, Smiths Wood, B36 9JR
• open: Tuesdays and Fridays from 12.30pm to 2.30pm

Shard End

• address: Welcome Change Community Centre, Ownall Road, Shard End, B34 7AJ
• open: Thursdays from 12.30pm to 2.30pm

Get in touch

• website: nortthsolihull.foodbank.org.uk
• telephone: 07902030134
• email: info@northsolihull.foodbank.org.uk

How to access

Vouchers can be obtained through school support workers and agencies e.g.:

• Help Through Hardship CAB on 0808 208 2138
• Solihull Connect on 0121 704 8001
• Age UK on 0121 709 7590

The Around Again social supermarket provides affordable access to food and household essentials for individuals and families experiencing:

• financial hardship
• social isolation
• health-related challenges
• low income
• unemployment
• benefit dependency
• financial instability

The service offers an alternative to emergency food aid and allows individuals to purchase items at subsidised prices and encourages them to engage with community support services.

The initiative works on a free membership basis, helping households stretch limited incomes while maintaining choice and independence. Members can currently select 14 items for £5. The typical retail value of these items is between £25 and £30, providing significant savings for households. 

Opening hours and contact details

The social supermarket is currently open Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Address:
100 Chapelhouse Road
Chelmsley Wood
B37 5HA

You can get in touch by:

• phone: 0121 448 0720 (Ext 3)
• email: aroundagain@colebridge.org 

More information is available on their website.

The mobile food pantry is a mobile service delivered by We Care UK, providing households in need with access to affordable food and essential household items. 

For a small donation, members can receive up to £25 worth of essentials including:

• cupboard staples 
• fresh fruit and vegetables
• chilled meats or pulses
• non-food items such as toiletries

The mobile pantry operates monthly across all four Solihull Family Hub locations including:

• Riverside Family Hub
• Elmwood Family Hub 
• Evergreen Family Hub
• Hatchford Brook Family Hub 

More information is available on the Solihull Family Hubs Facebook page.

Opening times

The mobile pantry will be open at the following times.

How to access

To sign up, please complete the online application form.

Complete mobile pantry application form