World Hunger Day

Right here in Bristol, every single day, adults and children are experiencing hunger. It is often found in situations where people are experiencing disadvantage, which is why it is not unusual for our workers to see hunger alongside issues around precarious housing and homelessness.

Why are people hungry?

At an individual level, there can be many factors that leave a person hungry and without the resources to address this. People in temporary accommodation may have limited or no cooking facilities, or even adequate equipment to make a basic meal. 

“I ended up in a place for a weekend where you have a bed, a fridge, a cooker, but no cooking utensils. I had no stuff with me, so how could I go and buy pots and pans as well?”

Better systems needed

The systems that are designed to ensure people can access the food that they need are often flawed. Research into food accessibility found that Bristol had “food deserts.” Areas of the city where residents had limited nearby, affordable food outlets compared to other areas. It means that residents already on a low income have to spend a disproportionate amount of their income on food. For many, this has frequently led to hunger. 

“If I don’t have money for shopping, I can always go to Food Club. [It] has been supportive for food and many other things.”

We find solutions

These food clubs, delivered by our Bristol Goods project, are there to provide a dignified experience where food can be accessed for a small subscription. They directly relieve hunger, and through providing housing advice and other information, support people to address some of the barriers created by structural problems. This guards against hunger becoming entrenched in a person’s life through finding solutions for housing insecurity and homelessness. It can take time to work through complex situations that exacerbate hunger, but our projects are tenacious in their fight to restore balance and security in people’s lives. 

“I have been attending for over 4 years and the Food Club is always there for me, providing food and emotional support.”

What can you do?

If you feel strongly that hunger, on top of precarious housing, is unacceptable. You can...

>Donate to support our work in pushing back against food and housing injustice...

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>Donate time by volunteering and delivering change alongside our teams...

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