A Helping Hand

Christmas Appeal 

10th November - 24th December

We all need a helping hand at some point in our lives. We remember how one gesture made things just a little easier - the cup of tea and a listening ear that was given by someone who cared, the gift that helped to raise your spirits when times were tough, or the meal that was made when funds were tight. 

This Christmas, we invite you to provide a helping hand to support people living in hardship in our communities throughout the Stirling Council area. Our services are busiest during the Winter months, when people find it particularly difficult financially. Last year we provided 500 Christmas dinners and supported 900 people over the festive fortnight. Almost 40% of the support provided was for children. 

Most of the people that we help at Start Up Stirling never thought that they would ever need to use our services, but their circumstances changed. This was the reality for one of our service users:


"I never imagined I'd need a food bank. I had always had a comfortable life, no money worries, and a strong support network. Then I lost everything, my marriage, my home - my whole world fell apart overnight. Start Up Stirling was my lifeline. They gave me and my children much more than crisis food. Their kindness helped me rebuild my life again."


How you can lend a helping hand this Christmas

Start UP Stirling Helping Hands Logo 2025

Food Donations


We are short of most of our food staples for our food parcels, but we especially need:

  • Tinned pasta

  • Coffee

  • Cereal bars

  • Tinned meat

  • TInned soup/ cup-a-soup


Please donate any of the items on our shopping list at one of our donation stations in supermarkets, shops, churches and community centres throughout the area. If you have a larger donation, please contact us in advance, so that we can welcome you at our warehouse. We also have printed shopping lists if you would like some to distribute. 

Tesco Superstore in Wallace Street Stirling is hosting a Food Donation Drive on Thursday 27th and Friday 28th November, from 10am until 4pm. Please come along and say hello!


Donation station hosting

Would you like to host a donation station at your workplace, school or club? We can supply you with a donation station and shopping lists for you to have your own food drive this Christmas. Just contact us, and we can arrange this for you. 


Reverse Advent Calendar

Our advent calendar is the best one to have for your pre-Christmas diet, as there is no chocolate involved! It’s a fun way with family, friends or work colleagues to donate a different item every day in December, with the full bag being donated at our warehouse, or community donation stations at the start of January. The food collected from the calendar will then be used in our food parcels this Winter. If you would like some printed copies, please let us know. 



Financial Support

We all know that food prices have risen, and that means that providing our Crisis Food Service has too. Over the past 2 years, the amount of food donations we have received has dropped by 23%, and we have had to find additional funding to bridge that gap. Here is the cost of a basic food parcel, with no additional fresh or frozen food. 

£22 provides food support for 3 days for one person

£34 helps a family of two with the basics

£43 supports a family of four


Each month on average, we have to raise £4,500 to purchase fresh food, fruit and vegetables, to supplement the canned and dried foods supplied within the food parcels.  A regular monthly donation helps us to budget for this, as well as our warehouse rent and running costs. 


Every donation that is made to us is precious and important. All of them help to make a big difference when people need it most. If you are a UK taxpayer you can Gift Aid your donation, this increases the value of your gift this Christmas by an additional 25%. 


If you would like more information about the Helping Hands Appeal, please contact the office on 01786 561027, use our contact form, or visit our warehouse Tuesday - Thursday, 9am until 3pm, or Friday, 9am until 1pm. 


Together, we can continue to provide hope, support and dignity for people living in our area. All the donations that we receive, whether food or financially, remain here in the Stirling Council area. Let’s give a dignified, practical, helping hand this Christmas, when our friends and neighbours need it most.

If you're unsure about how much to donate, here's a list of common items and services we need to fund. Select what you'd like to contribute.