Bringing Affordable Food & Essentials to Communities Across Northamptonshire.
Having operated an established Food & Essentials Hub since 2020, supporting families and individuals facing severe hardship and crisis, TMDF has developed a deep understanding of the challenges affecting people across Northamptonshire. We recognise that for many households, financial difficulty is not just a short-term crisis, but an ongoing reality, and with the continued cost-of-living pressures affecting communities nationwide, more people than ever are struggling to afford everyday essentials such as food, toiletries and household items.
While emergency food support remains vital for those in immediate crisis, we also understand that food parcels are not a long-term solution for individuals and families living on low incomes or facing ongoing financial pressures. That’s why, in 2026, we launched our new Mobile Community Shop, helping bring affordable food and essential items directly into communities across Northamptonshire.
Using a specially adapted van, our team travels to different locations across Northamptonshire each week, bringing affordable shopping directly into local communities. The Mobile Community Shop currently operates every Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, with plans to expand to five days a week in the near future.
Each day, the shop visits a number of locations in 1–2 hour time slots, including schools, community centres and other public spaces, making it easier for local people to access low-cost essentials close to home.
Working closely with local surplus suppliers and supermarkets, the shop stocks a wide range of heavily discounted everyday items, including fresh fruit and vegetables, cupboard essentials, toiletries and household goods, helping households stretch their budgets further while reducing food waste at the same time.
Instead of each item in the shop having a unique price in Pounds (£), everything is labelled with a Points Value between 1 to 5. Our customers can purchase 9 points for £5, or 18 points for £10. These points are then exchanged for items in the store.
We also offer pre-packed fresh fruit and vegetable bags for £2.50, alongside selected individually priced items, such as larger products or multi–packs.
Most everyday items are only 1-2 points, and on average 18 points worth of shopping is roughly equivalent to £20 spent at a typical supermarket. This means our customers save approximately 50% on their weekly essentials when they shop with us!
The Mobile Community Shop visits a variety of locations each week, mainly schools and community centres across Northamptonshire. Please check our social media pages for weekly updates and the latest shop schedule and locations!
No, there are currently no membership requirements or eligibility criteria for using the shop. Any member of the public can simply visit us at one of our stops, and start shopping straight away.
The Mobile Community Shop visits a variety of locations each week, primarily schools and community centres across Northamptonshire. Please check our social media pages (in the links above!) for weekly updates about our locations and schedule.
Our Mobile Community Shop uses a points-based system, meaning instead of individual prices in Pounds (£) for each item, everything is labelled with a point value between 1-5. Most everyday items are only 1-2 points.
Customers can purchase either 9 points for £5, or 18 points for £10. We also offer pre-packed fruit and vegetable bags for just £2.50
There is no limit on how often you can use the shop, meaning customers are welcome to visit every week if they wish.
Do you or someone you know need help and support to get through a difficult time? We know that asking for help is not easy, just complete our contact form and we’ll be in touch with more on how we can help.
