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A structural engineer and mother-of-three, Frances Ikemefuma found herself struggling when her marriage broke down and her elderly parents both became unwell, leaving her providing for six on her single income. “When I got into crisis, coming to face the foodbank took a lot of courage,” Frances, 43, says. “It challenged everything my life was built on.”

But when she arrived at the bright and welcoming North Paddington Food Bank (NPFB), instead of being given a food parcel, she was offered emergency cash payments to get her back on her feet. “It was actually uplifting,” she says. “The money and support I was given went straight back to my children. I didn’t fix my nails or get my hair done. It went to shoes and uniform, and food, and trying to keep the house warm for everyone, and trying to sustain the family life I had built. Having cash means you can buy healthier food than you might get in a food parcel.”

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Being trusted with cash payments, alongside support with claiming benefits, was critical to transforming Frances’ situation. “The people at NPFB saw I wasn’t lazy,” she says. “Far from it. I was taking care of six people. I’ve always been dedicated and hard-working, but the reality is that one or two big life changes can leave you needing support. They saw me as a person for the first time in such a long time. This place has meant I can be the mother I always wanted to be to my children.”

Looking round The Exchange hub in Westminster, Tom Delap, Head of Charity at NPFB explains this is what a “cash-first foodbank” can look like. No queues for food, no destitute families waiting. Just a welcoming space with hot food and friendly support available. Instead of collecting bags of shopping they might not choose, community members are given staggered cash payments while emergency advice and support is provided. While problems are being fixed, payments are made digitally or as vouchers.

“We are the UK’s first Cash First food bank, and the only one delivering Cash First support at this scale, a model we have been running for the past four years,” Tom says. “We no longer distribute food parcels. With Cash First, we recognise people are essentially facing an income problem – and also offer specialist welfare help and mental health support. Our approach is based on trust and dignity. We need to start trusting people more.”

Frances nods. “Trust is life changing,” she says. “Trust makes you want to work harder. It leaves you feeling stronger.” As well as building trust and letting people in crisis buy the things they need – children’s shoes, uniforms, food from local shops, heating and electricity – Tom says the approach gives far better value for money.

“We are the largest food bank in the area,” he says. “Once you factor in staff, transport, storage and distribution and the fact we were buying nearly 60% of the food ourselves, it just didn’t add up – we thought, ‘why are we buying food to give it out’? Instead of moving food around, we can put that money straight into people’s hands. For the same cost, we support households better and focus on fixing the causes of crisis, not just managing the symptoms.”

As the UK reaches over three million food parcels a year – rising from just one food bank 25 years ago – the prize is clear. “By taking a cash-first approach, we could finally see the end of foodbanks,” Tom says. “It’s a genuinely exciting moment.”
The UK’s largest Cash First pilot – the results of which are released today – shows that between 2022 and 2025, NPFB and Turn2Us provided £330,000 to 150 households using different payment methods – weekly, monthly, and lump sums.

Households were selected because they were among the most dependent on NPFB support over the previous 12 months and facing “entrenched barriers to stability”. The pilot followed each household for a full year, and paired cash support with income maximisation and casework.

“The results were clear,” Tom says. “A 79% reduction in long-term food aid dependency. 53% of households never returned to the foodbank. And all this achieved during a period when national foodbank demand continued to rise.” The report comes at a pivotal moment.

Last week, the government launched a new Crisis and Resilience Fund which prioritises a cash-first approach – with the aim of shifting national policy towards direct financial support. “NPFB’s model is already delivering what the CRF asks local areas to build,” Tom says. “We hope we can provide a blueprint for others.”

From April this year, the CRF will provide £1bn to local authorities in England to help low-income households with immediate financial shocks and build long-term financial resilience – replacing previous "sticking plaster" solutions. Adam Hug, leader of Westminster Council, says the local authority will now support other food aid partners to go cash-first under its anti-poverty action plan.

“The North Paddington Food Bank has been at the vanguard of driving forward the cash first approach, and the results are clear – more than half the households using this system don’t return to the food bank, proving that this is the best way to help turn people’s lives around,” he says.

NPFB’s model works in tandem with Westminster Council’s hub network, which includes the brightly painted Exchange, with its canteen, homework and counselling rooms, exercise spaces, coffee bar and thriving community. The council also helps support the foodbank.

When I visited, 80-year-old Val Hough, was just finishing a cup of tea with her friend Diana Alexander, 76, after a chair exercise class. “I love coming here,” she told me, pointing at the fresh food being made behind the counter. “It’s like coming to a posh café.”

Before Val started coming to the Hub, she says she had been trapped indoors by agoraphobia. “I just got very, very low,” she says. “And then I stopped being able to use my hands. I was a typist for 49 years, but I couldn’t even hold a letter, let alone make a cup of tea.” After a year of coming to The Exchange, Val’s confidence is back, and the chair exercise classes have got her hands moving again. “There’s sewing classes, film nights, scrabble nights, karate,” she says. Val leans forward conspiratorially. “I think I might be the next karate kid."

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