# Big Lottery Fund funds extra support at food banks - Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2015/12/15/big-lottery-fund-funds-extra-support-at-food-banks/ - Published: 2015-12-15T08:30:19+00:00 - Author: Melanie May **[The Trussell Trust](http://www.trusselltrust.org/) is expanding the services on offer at its foodbanks this winter, with the help of a [Big Lottery Fund](https://www.biglotteryfund.org.uk/) grant.** With the Trussell Trust preparing for record levels of demand this festive season, the Big Lottery Fund has awarded the charity £748,423. The funding will help it provide extra services at its foodbanks, including debt and money management, welfare and housing advice, and courses on cooking on a budget. The charity will use the funding to set up partnerships with local and national advice agencies that will enable it to offer support sessions at foodbanks with qualified advisors. For the first time, fuel banks will also be in operation, with the Trussell Trust working with Npower to pilot the banks, which give prepayment meter top ups for people struggling to afford energy as well as food. ## Advertisement [⌊Posthub advert. You create the campaign. We'll handle the postal journey. Get started at post-hub.co.uk.⌉](https://fundraising.co.uk/ads/posthub-20261007-300x250/) > Trussell Trust CEO David McAuley, said: “Winter is the hardest time of year for > people living on the breadline; many will face stark choices between eating and > heating. Increasingly, Trussell Trust foodbanks are able to provide additional > support services to help resolve some the underlying causes of foodbank use, and > this will be especially impactful over the winter months. The funding couldn’t > come at a better time.” * **[New round of Big Lottery Fund grants announced](https://fundraising.co.uk/2016/01/12/215169/)**( 12 January 2016) * **[Big Lottery Fund awards £14.8 million](https://fundraising.co.uk/2016/02/16/big-lottery-fund-awards-14-8m/)**( 16 February 2016) * **[Lottery in N Ireland opens £60 million programme](https://fundraising.co.uk/2016/02/26/lottery-in-n-ireland-opens-60m-programme/)**( 26 February 2016) ![Loading](https://fundraising.co.uk/wp-content/plugins/page-views-count/ajax-loader- 2x.gif)