Category

• Promising Local Practice

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Poverty impact

• Mitigation
• Reduction

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Poverty driver

• Provide benefit in-kind (material)
• Provide benefit in-kind (experience)
• Increase employment income

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Keywords

• Food
• Health
• Community Engagement
• Empowerment
• Training for Employment

Aim

The aim of this project is to support communities by improving access to nutritious food, enhancing health outcomes and tackling food poverty.

Summary

The Edinburgh Community Food Project (ECF) tackles food poverty and broader social issues through cooking courses, health training and partnerships with various organisations. During the pandemic, ECF expanded its services to meet increased community needs, providing about 1,500 food boxes per week and serving an estimated 1,000,000 meal portions in a year. The support included doorstep deliveries, interactive virtual cooking classes and personalized online nutrition consultations.

What difference does it make?

The project has had a significant impact on individuals and families, with some experiencing life-changing outcomes. The project's comprehensive approach extends its impact beyond individuals to their households and families, creating a positive ripple effect. Despite working with around 30,000 people annually, including food recipients and community development participants, there is a recognition of the on-going need due to the prevalence of poverty in the area. While strategic national health indicators may not show significant improvements, the project has demonstrated tangible impacts on individuals' lives, such as healthier eating habits and reduced social isolation.

Key take-aways

• Providing food and delivering educational courses on nutrition increases overall well-being and mitigates the effects of food poverty for those requiring both crisis and long-term support.
• Large, authority-wide projects such as ECF have the capacity to transform lives at both an individual and household level.
• Diverse communities benefit from projects that prioritise community involvement in management, governance and project delivery.

 

Organisations

Edinburgh Community Food (ECF)

Location

Edinburgh (Leith, Lothians and throughout Edinburgh)

Contact