Community psychologist, Adur & Worthing Food Partnership Director and founding member of the Alliance for Dignified Food Support Carl Walker and team have shared with us a new report called ‘Managing Hunger Trauma in Community Food Support: Systemic Betrayal, Moral Injury, and Distress in Staff and Volunteers‘.
Research interviews were conducted with staff and volunteers of 35 community food support organisations around the
UK, including foodbanks, community hubs, community pantries, pay-as-you-feel community supermarkets, pop-up food provision projects and organisations which used a mixed model of food provision.
It explores the psychological and ethical challenges faced by staff and volunteers in community food support organisations, examined in the wider context of their current essential yet unofficial part of the UK welfare system. The report calls for urgent action given the scale of moral distress and burnout in the sector, the national systemic failure of food provision, growing food insecurity and its psychological toll on those involved.
On the back of the report, a group of food activists, academics and food partnerships have started to develop some work to explore what collective representation looks like to give a voice to those in community food support, particularly for staff and volunteers, but also users. Working with a number of food partnerships and Trade Unions, including the Bakers, Food and Allied Workers Union and the National Education Union (given that over 4,000 schools now provide emergency food support), discussions are underway about new ways of working together to challenge the drivers of food insecurity and the strain that so many are feeling in the sector. Initial ideas include a collective pledge/call to action to raise awareness about the systemic failure that is driving food insecurity, a charter of Rights for CFSO staff, volunteers and schools, and a National Community Food Support Summit on systemic failure and food insecurity.
As many people and organisations as possible are invited to be involved going forward. Get in touch with carlwalker1000@gmail.com for any further information.
Adur and Worthing Food Partnership