October Newsletter

Latest emergency food parcel distribution figures collated by IFAN

from independent food banks

In our latest report, Scotland’s independent food banks revealed at least a doubling in
the need for emergency food parcels - comparing April to July 2019 with April to July
2020. At least 182,863 emergency food parcels were distributed by 70 independent
food banks in Scotland between February and July of this year. You can read the full
report ​here.

Our most recent UK-wide report showed a 177% increase in the number of 3-day
emergency food parcels distributed by independent food banks across the UK,
comparing May 2019 with May 2020. Read ​this report​ ​on our ​IFAN data since
COVID-19 page.​ With the release of this data IFAN member organisations wrote a ​l​etter
to the Prime Minister​ calling for policy changes to reduce the need for charitable food
aid.

IFAN will be collating further data from independent food banks this month.

IFAN’s Cash First Project in Scotland

Between June and November 2020, Dr Chelsea Marshall is working with IFAN on a
project to support a ‘cast first’ approach to food insecurity at a local level in Scotland.
The project involves co-developing practical tools to improve access to financial advice
and support as an alternative to emergency food aid. An example of our first
co-developed leaflet (for Argyll and Bute) can be found ​here.​ If you’re interested in
reading more about ​IFAN’s Cash First Project​, Chelsea’s ​blog on promoting ‘cash first
responses​ and our first ​briefing on the project’s key findings​ ​are available on IFAN’s
website on the ​IFAN in Scotland page.
IFAN & University of York Webinar: Structural inequalities and the
growing need for food aid

In September, IFAN and the University of York hosted a hosted a webinar panel
discussion on structural inequalities and increasing food insecurity in the UK. Panelists
included Suzanne Babb (Why Hunger), Dee Woods (IFAN and the Granville Community
Kitchen), Kimberly Mcintosh (Child Poverty Action Group), and Dr Dave Beck
(University of Salford). The webinar was chaired by Maddy Power, Co-Chair of IFAN's
board of Trustees and Research Fellow at the University of York. The discussion
covered class, race and gender barriers to food equality including a comparative
perspective from the US. A ​recording of the webinar​ is available on IFAN’s website and
slides used by our panelists can be found on ​our Events page.​ ​A briefing paper based
on the discussion will be published soon.

IFAN & Feeding Britain: Identifying and addressing the underlying

causes of hunger, food insecurity and the need for food banks during
COVID-19

IFAN’s joint webinar with Feeding Britain in September heard powerful evidence on the
underlying causes of the increasing need for food banks from representatives of IFAN
members including Mary McGinley (Helensburgh and Lomond Food Bank), Alison
Grainger (Hambleton Foodshare), Alison Peyton (ReadiFood), Jen Coleman (Black
Country Food Bank) and Dee Woods (Granville Community Kitchen). IFAN is working
alongside Feeding Britain to put together a briefing based on the evidence heard and
gathered at the session and through further submissions from our networks’ members.
This briefing will be published soon.

Joseph Rowntree Foundation: #KeepTheLifeline Campaign

IFAN has joined the JRF’s #KeepTheLifeline campaign to urge the Government to make
the £20 per week uplift to Universal Credit and Working Tax Credit permanent as well
as extend it to legacy benefits. You can read JRF's open letter to the chancellor, signed
by IFAN, ​here.

IFAN membership
More than 150 organisations have joined IFAN since the onset of COVID-19 bringing
our total membership to over 350 organisations including over 400 independent food
banks. If you are a food aid provider, you can find out more about joining IFAN ​here.
We’ve recently developed a Member Information Page that includes information on
funding options, current COVID-19 information and nutritional guidelines for emergency
food parcels. Our member organisations in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern
Ireland are sent regular email updates and are invited to join Zoom meetings for
discussions on a range of topics.

IFAN in the news, Parliament and key publications

You can find references to IFAN’s recent work on our ​IFAN in the News page.​ ​IFAN’s
Scotland Data Release in September was also covered on BBC Reporting Scotland and
BBC Scotland The Nine. You can also find references to IFAN’s work mentioned in
Parliament and key publications ​here.

IFAN’s latest blogs:

● Graham Riches: Canada must eliminate food banks and provide a basic income
after COVID-19, S​eptember 23, 2020

● Chelsea Marshall: Promoting ‘cash-first’ responses at a local level, ​August 6,

2020

● Sabine Goodwin: As COVID-19 “pop up” food banks prepare for the long haul,
what now is ending the need for food banks in the UK?, ​August 3, 2020

● Sabine Goodwin: Turning the tide – Food banks urge the Prime Minister to take
action, ​July 10, 2020

● Hannah Mackintosh: Calling on the Scottish Government to end reliance on food

banks, J​une 30, 2020

● Pat Caplan: Food Poverty and Charity in the UK – food banks, the food industry
and the state, ​June 11, 2020

● Covid-19 and the right to food - exploring the emergence of a global solidarity
alliance for food, health and social justice, ​June 3, 2020
 ● Sabine Goodwin: Between the devil and the deep blue sea – coping with a
tsunami of need and the governments £16m aimed at food charities, ​May 9, 2020

● Vivien Opiolka: This is a pandemic – not a famine, ​April 29, 2020

IFAN’s team and board of trustees

We are pleased to have been able to welcome Maria Marshall IFAN’s Project Officer to
IFAN’s team. Maria has been with working with IFAN’s Coordinator Sabine Goodwin
since May 2020. We’re also grateful to Annie Connolly for her help and support during
April and May 2020. Very many thanks too to Ashleigh Comber who is our part-time
Membership and Finance Officer as well as to Katy Gordon who helps with membership
applications on a voluntary basis. And we have been delighted that Dr Chelsea
Marshall, currently working with IFAN on secondment from Nourish Scotland, has been
able to lead our ​Cash First Project​ in Scotland.

Find out more about our team and our board of trustees ​here.

Upcoming Events

The coming months

The need for charitable food aid is unfortunately predicted to worsen in the coming
months. If you’d like to donate directly to any of our member organisations or to IFAN
please visit ​our home page​ ​for further details. Thank you.

IFAN’s AGM

IFAN’s 2020 Annual General Meeting will be held on Wednesday 2nd December via
Zoom. More details on how to join this event will be made available on ​IFAN’s events
page​ soon. It would be wonderful to see as many of you as possible there.

Second Webinar on Structural inequalities and the growing need for

food aid
Following IFAN & the University of York’s September webinar on structural inequalities
and the need for food aid, we are planning a second webinar that will focus on
disabilities and health. More information will be available on our ​events page​ soon.