Understandably, things seem to be really up and down for people at the moment. Personally, I have felt trapped between many emotions; both keen as well as anxious to go outside, more at ease with and terrified of coronavirus in equal measure and feeling both dread and positivity about our shared future. Things at Food for Good have also been mixed at this time, with even our usually light-hearted yet productive online meeting showing signs of nerves fraying and emotions high and low.
Within the world of the third sector, ‘transition’ has become as buzzy a word as ‘unprecedented’ with all organisations keen to move away from the initial stages of emergency food provision and on to something more sustainable, both for the people who they are supporting and for the organisations themselves. Not only are many of these organisations keen to return to their core projects but many do not have the funding to be able to continue this provision indefinitely.
Fortunately, the core team at Food for Good have been having this discussion for quite some time and are committed to continuing our support of vulnerable individuals and families around our three pillars of community, dignity and sustainability for the long road ahead. Our focus will lie on working with some of the community groups that we have created bonds with; building resilience, sharing knowledge and working together.
Over the past weeks, we have had some great discussions with other food providers including Scran Academy, Empty Kitchens, Full Hearts and Edinburgh Community Food and are working together to ensure that people are supported throughout, whilst transitioning away from a regular service.
From a partner side, we are already chatting with Streetwork and others about supporting their operations with our recipes, packaging and volunteer chefs to create community hubs of food production using sustainable ingredients and suppliers. The potential for real change here is huge with the aspiration of sharing our skills so that those who once received food from us will now learn how to prepare that food for others.
As for many of us, July will be a month that requires flexibility, patience and understanding. However, we are confident that together we can create a stronger version of the future that has been forced upon us.
As always, we rely on funding to continue our work- you can support us by clicking here
If you have any questions about our service, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us
