Why our voice matters in the Right to Food Debate

​For more than a decade, West Northumberland Food Bank has been responding to the realities of poverty in our community — and contributing to the wider conversation about how it should be addressed.

​Thirteen years after the food bank was established, and eight years after our CEO gave evidence to the United Nations inquiry into poverty in the UK, that conversation continues.

Our CEO, Sam Gilchrist, has recently been invited to contribute evidence to the UK Parliamentary Right to Food Commission, bringing the perspective of rural communities into a national discussion about food insecurity and human rights.

Left: Panel discussion during the Northumberland evidence session of the UK Parliamentary Right to Food Commission. Centre & Right: Evidence sessions during the 2018 United Nations inquiry into poverty in the UK led by Special Rapporteur Philip Alston.

The Commission is examining how the UK might embed a legally protected right to adequate food in law and policy, drawing on international human rights frameworks and supported by organisations including Amnesty International. It is important that the realities facing communities like ours are part of that discussion.

"​When the food bank was first established thirteen years ago, the focus was very much on responding to immediate need. Emergency food is central to what we do, but over time our work has evolved. Increasingly we focus on helping people move towards greater stability — connecting them with wider support, reducing isolation and responding to the realities of living in a rural community. Being part of the national conversation about food insecurity is important, because it helps shape the changes needed for the future."

The UN Inquiry into poverty in the UK

This is not the first time these issues have been examined on the national stage. In 2018, when the United Nations Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty, Professor Philip Alston, conducted his inquiry into poverty in the UK, our CEO also gave evidence about the realities of food insecurity in rural communities.

Following that inquiry, Alston described the scale of poverty in the UK as an indictment of society, highlighting the levels of hardship being experienced in one of the wealthiest economies in the world.

Eight years on, many of the issues raised during that inquiry remain unchanged.

Across the UK, food banks continue to operate because communities step forward. Volunteers give their time. Donations arrive. Parcels are packed.

Immediate need is met, but charity cannot resolve structural poverty.

A voice for our community

​As part of the Right to Food Commission session in Northumberland, Sam joined a panel alongside Hannah Harniess from Adapt North East, Michelle Brannigan from Full Circle Food Project at The Growing Zone in Ashington, and Brian Shotton from Hirst Welfare Centre.

Together they shared perspectives on the challenges facing communities across the region and the work taking place locally to support people experiencing hardship.

When money is tight, living in a rural community can make everyday life harder to navigate.

There may not be a bus to get to the nearest town. Shops, services and support can be miles away. Homes are often older and harder to heat. Opportunities for work or training may be limited.​

​And when you are struggling, it can feel like you are doing so alone.

Poverty in rural areas is often less visible. But it is no less real.

More than 40% of the households we support live in smaller towns and villages across our area.

How our work has evolved

West Northumberland Food Bank was established thirteen years ago to respond to immediate hardship in our community.

Over that time our work has evolved significantly.

As our recently published Year 12 Annual Impact Report reflects, emergency food remains an essential part of what we do. But increasingly our focus is on helping people move towards greater stability.

That means connecting people with wider support, reducing isolation and responding to the realities of living in a rural community where access to services can be limited.

The report also reflects something we see every day: food insecurity rarely exists on its own. It is often closely connected to income, housing, health, transport and the wider pressures facing households.

Our role is not only to respond when someone reaches crisis, but to help create the conditions that make crisis less likely.

Why the conversation matters

​The work of the Right to Food Commission reflects a growing recognition that food insecurity is not simply about food.

It raises wider questions about income, dignity, security and rights.

Food banks play an important role in supporting people through moments of crisis. But they were never intended to become a permanent feature of the social landscape.

As the Commission continues its work across the UK, we will continue to bring the experiences of our community into that national conversation.