Food Bank Friday on TikTok – "This is the type of influencing we need"

Posted on 19th December 2025

There's a growing community of people who are taking part in the "Food Bank Friday" trend on TikTok to support their local food banks.

Each week they go shopping for food bank items with a set amount of their own money (usually between £5 and £10) plus what they earned from their Food Bank Friday video the week before. Viewers boost their budgets with every like, comment and share – more engagement literally means more food for those in need.

It's being described as "influencing at its finest" with the weekly videos helping to raise awareness about food poverty in the UK and inspiring others to support food banks in their own areas.

How Food Bank Friday started

TikTok creator Charlie Rewilding – who brands herself the "Snack Queen" – has been credited with coming up with the Food Bank Friday idea.

Charlie is based in London and has built up a loyal following on her socials with her Snack Time videos plating up her snacks and lunches – and now her Food Bank Friday series which her followers are also loving.

These are just a few of the fantastic comments she's had on her TikToks:

• "This is what the app should be about, good people and real life"

• "Refreshing to see someone giving back and not getting completely wrapped up in “influencer world” which sadly can be a lot of take take take. Not always but there is a lot of it."

• "I'm so grateful to see younger and younger people are doing these things already. You don't know what £5 worth of food can do to a family in need. Thank you and love you stranger"

• "This is an amazing way to support the community! Thanks for doing this and sharing"

• "What a wonderful soul you are; the more I learn about you, the more I love you! It’s sad that we live in a world where food banks are necessary, but your simple act helps so many people"

• "I've seen people doing this in America, but not the UK, I'm so happy someone is restoring my faith in the British public."

Charlie is part of the TikTok Creator Fund, so the more engagement she gets on her videos, the more money she will make to help food banks. Viewers boost her earnings by liking, commenting and sharing the videos. You often see people saying things as simple as "Commenting to boost" as they want to get behind the cause and help increase her earnings.

In this video she explains the purpose of Food Bank Friday with stats from Gov.uk and The Trussell Trust: "For those of us who have the resources to access food, it can be easy to take it for granted. However, between 2022 and 2023, 11% of the UK population were experiencing food poverty. This shocking figure included 17% of children. Due to the rising cost of living, household food insecurity is increasing. The Trussell Trust, a charity and network of food banks, supplied the highest number of food parcels in a year ever, in 2023-2024. As I was walking around Tesco today, it pained me to see all of the food on the shelves and think about people who weren't able to access that food. Food banks are a lifeline for emergencies."

Charlie makes a shopping list using an app called BanktheFood which shows her the items her local food bank is running low on and urgently needs. She says, "What I love about the app is it's not just guesswork. It updates in real time, so you know exactly what's needed at your local food bank."

The ripple effect of Food Bank Friday

What began as a single idea just a few months ago has grown in to a TikTok-wide community project.

Charlie's videos have inspired other TikTokers with big followings to start doing their own Food Bank Friday videos – like Cat from @curlyscooking and Danielle from @charityshoplife.

Many viewers say they're doing more to support their local food banks after seeing Food Bank Friday videos on their FYPs each week:

• "I did a £100 food bank shop yesterday for my local food bank and I have to admit watching your videos really inspired me."

• "You’re doing amazing and have inspired me to start contributing to the food banks more"

• "Taking my little girl to do a food bank shop tomorrow at Tesco! Thank you inspiring us all to do better, when/where we can"

• "We've started doing 1 item each shop. We don’t have much to spare at all but 1 item feels doable"

• "I've started to try and spare maybe one or two cheap items when I go into my local supermarket. sometimes it's a tin of beans or a packet of microwave rice or something and other times, I've donated a packet of sanitary pads bc I really feel awful for those who have periods and can't afford sanitary products."

• "I used to regularly add a couple of items onto the cost of £2 but I’m not sure why I stopped. I will restart next food shop."

Some people have download the BanktheFood app that Charlie recommends so they know which items their local food banks need:

• "I downloaded the app after seeing this and found out my local food bank is super close by so I've sent in a volunteer form."

• "Never downloaded an app so quickly. Thanks for sharing!"

• "I’m going to definitely download! Just an extra £5-10 a week on my food shop I’m sure will make a big difference to someone else’s life"

• "Just downloaded this - will check it every time I go to the shops and add one thing to my trolley. I don’t have a lots to spare but I can always add one little thing."

Others who've worked at food banks or have used food banks are sharing useful advice about the best items to donate. For example, some have pointed out that not everybody who uses food banks will have tin openers, so they recommend ring-pull tins or non-tinned items. Others are sharing reminders about items that can get overlooked like gluten-free and dairy-free foods, toiletries and sanitary items, and pet food.

It all shows the power of TikTok to bring people together for a good cause. Food Bank Friday has become a collaborative effort with TikTok creators and viewers each playing their part to support those in need.