How important is the link between churches and food banks?
Ninety-eight (98) per cent of food banks, that’s 1,200 food banks, are receiving food from churches. I think about two-thirds of our volunteers are church-based. And we have, I think, about 700 food bank centres housed in churches. So churches are making a huge effort.
But one of my colleagues with recent experience of poverty has described it as a sticking plaster on a volcano. So it’s great what we’re doing, but we know we can’t sustain it. We know our food banks are at breaking point because of the pressure on them. We know churches are also struggling for funds and people.
So is it now the time for churches to redouble efforts on the activism side to address the causes of food poverty?
Yes! We need help from churches of all traditions with lobbying for fundamental changes to our society. Only 27 per cent of churches are involved in campaigning. And we would love to see that number rise.
It’s about looking for change and for being willing to speak out, at every opportunity, to challenge the myths that hold people back. The things such as maybe blaming people for being in poverty, or to suggest that better budgeting is the answer.
We’ve got a pack for churches on how to get involved with our ‘Essentials Guarantee’ campaign as part of our resource hub.
And what about welcoming, including and giving more influence to people who have a lived experience of facing hardship?
This is really important for churches too. We really believe we are no different from the people going to food banks. And actually, we have a lot to learn from people in poverty, about community, about generosity. Building community is good for us all.
We need help from churches to change the narrative, change policy, and change our communities so that nobody has to use the food bank.
No one enjoys walking through the door of a food bank. It’s really difficult. And we don’t want it to happen.
The Trussell re-brand
We’ve noticed that your organisation has changed its name to Trussell and has had a rebrand too. Why now?
Our brand identity was created over 20 years ago and we’ve grown and changed significantly since then. What worked for us in the early 2000s has been creating barriers today, both for people who need to access vital support, and for people who wanted to understand how they could work with us towards a future free from hunger. We needed to change this.
Our new strapline, Ending hunger together, emphasises this shared ambition.
Everyone has a part to play in ending the need for food banks. Civil society, employers, businesses, and all levels of government need to act together with people who’ve needed a food bank, individuals and communities to drive this change.
We don’t want to be here. Trussell’s aim is to no longer exist because everyone has enough income to afford the essentials and no one has to turn to emergency food to get by. Until then, we will continue to do all we can to reach people needing our support – and our refreshed brand is key to achieving that.
Read more about the Trussell rebrand.
Jessica Foster is Head of Church Engagement at Trussell. She is an Anglican Deacon and has worked in interfaith and community development in Birmingham as well as being a tutor and lecturer at the Queens Foundation.
Trussell is a Charity and Network in Association with CTE.
Read a longer interview with Jessica at Greenbelt Festival 2024 in the Baptist Times.