We are working with staff & volunteers across the community food sector to develop a powerful piece of collective action that demands systemic change.
Collective Action for Dignity in Community Food Support
Staff and volunteers are holding together a broken safety net. It's time to stand together.
The Alliance for Dignified Food Support is developing a national campaign to highlight the emotional toll and systemic injustice facing staff and volunteers delivering community food support.
This work builds on our recent report:
Managing Hunger Trauma: Systemic Betrayal, Moral Injury and Distress in Staff and Volunteers
What have we done so far?
Set up a working group of food project staff, volunteers, researchers, and organisers to guide this work
Delivered briefings for local food partnerships and food justice networks to share key findings and gather insight
Engaged with national bodies including IFAN, Sustainable Food Places, Feeding Britain along with place based food partnerships and food justice networks
Held discussions with key trade unions around the rights of staff and volunteers working within the community food sector
What’s next?
This autumn, we’ll run a series of regional workshops to co-design a piece of collective action that puts dignity and volunteer rights at the centre.
Together, we’ll explore:
What are the limits of volunteer responsibility?
Where does the duty of care lie for safeguarding agencies?
What policy change is needed to shift the burden off the voluntary sector?
We’re working toward a possible Day of Action in Spring 2026, a Charter of Volunteer Rights, and potential collaboration with trade unions to protect and empower those working in food support.