About FoodShare
FoodShare has been at the heart of Maidenhead for over 15 years, ensuring that no one in our community goes hungry. We provide fresh, healthy food to individuals and families facing crisis, always with dignity and kindness at the centre of what we do.
Every week, our volunteers welcome hundreds of people who need short-term support, often for just 3–5 weeks, while they get back on their feet. We know it could be any one of us in that position, so our message is simple: it’s not a handout, it’s a hand up.
Thanks to the generosity of local people, businesses, and partner organisations, we’re able to offer much more than food. From hot meals and lunch clubs to support for parents with young children to our new “Back to Work” initiative, FoodShare is building bridges towards a stronger, more resilient community.
In 2025 we finally secured a permanent home at Number Nine, Reform Road, a milestone that allows us to expand our services, open a community café, and work with other local groups to create a welcoming hub for everyone.
Behind it all is our incredible team of over 150 volunteers who keep FoodShare running week after week. Together with donors, supporters, and friends across Maidenhead, we are proud to be here when people need us most.
Interesting Highlights
2011
Open Kitchen
Open Kitchen was founded in 2011 when trustee Nigel Cohen, together with a small team of dedicated volunteers, began supplying food straight from the boot of a car to people in need. What started as a simple act of kindness has grown into one of Maidenhead’s largest volunteer-led charities, built on the same spirit of community and compassion that inspired those early days.
2011-2014
Transition from Open Kitchen to the FoodShare name
In 2014, the organisation became officially known as FoodShare. Later Lester Tanner and Debbie Gee joined trustee Nigel Cohen on the board. From the beginning, all trustees have been hands-on, volunteering side by side with the rest of the team, taking on shifts and carrying out the same roles as everyone else. It’s important to us that FoodShare is truly volunteer-led. Over the years, we’ve worked together to introduce new systems and innovations to strengthen how FoodShare runs, including the launch of our membership shop in 2019, which allowed people not only to receive support, but also to give back a little in return.
2014-2025
A place called home
From 2014 onwards, FoodShare has been supported by Housing Solutions and later the Nicholson’s Shopping Centre, providing us with temporary bases from which to run our services. We remain incredibly grateful for that support, but for nine years, we searched for a permanent home. With property costs in Maidenhead so high and suitable space so scarce, it was no easy task. After years of fundraising and determination, the trustees took the bold step to secure our own premises at No. 9 Reform Road, meaning that, at last, FoodShare has a place to call home.
Foodshare is a UK-registered charity, number 1142868. It works directly and in collaboration with other charities to provide services and support to people in poverty in and around Maidenhead. Food is provided at No.9 by Foodshare CIO, charity number 1207287.