North Bristol & South Gloucestershire (NBSG) Foodbank have created a strategic plan, where we look towards the vision of ending the need for food banks. In order to do this, we know that more is needed than just providing emergency food parcels, as that is a band-aid solution, and we need to look at the root causes of people needing to use the food bank and start to tackle those problems. Using the analogy of people falling in a river, the help we provide through emergency food is like us standing downstream and pulling people out of the river after they have fallen in. We want to look at how we can go upstream and stop people falling in the river. As we do this, we will not stop helping through emergency food provision and will commit to ensuring that we still provide a high quality service for those who need to use food bank.
We are aware that there are a lot of excellent organisations and statutory services doing really great work around the city. We don’t want to duplicate work, but we want to identify the priority needs and collaborate with others to work towards finding solutions. We therefore decided to do a series of consultations with our main stakeholders – referral agencies, church partners & local churches, clients, staff, volunteers and trustees – in order to gather as much information and ideas to help us create a plan that is effective and uses not only our resources well, but those of the organisations and bodies with whom we want to partner.
Decision Process
For the consultations, we created a series of questions that we asked people, based on the Trussell Trust goals of ‘Changing Minds, Changing Policies, & Changing Communities. Alongside this we are gathering data and statistics to help assess where the biggest needs are and what we should be prioritising in the work we do and partnerships we form.
We used the information we gathered at the initial round of consultations to meet with local community groups and other food providers who we might be able to directly partner with in shaping and carrying out projects. We gave them a summary of ideas that we had gathered and discussed whether they already did existing work in these areas that we could support and if not, if they would be interested in looking to work with us to meet some of the unmet needs.
The overriding opinion from all the consultations was that as an organisation we should focus our work on ‘Changing Communities’, while also doing some work to tackle ‘Changing Minds’ and ‘Changing Policies’. We took the final results and ideas to our board of trustees in order to prioritise where and how we wanted to work, our capacity and resource capabilities and restrictions, and in doing so created a set of 6 goals. These goals will allow us to create new projects that work towards the end of needing food banks through changing minds, policies and communities, while also ensuring that our current operations are improved and that we are able to give the best service we can for as long as food banks are needed.
Our vision
Our values
Our values are the fundamental driving principles that are based on our Christian ethos:
Compassion
Community
Justice
Dignity
Strategic Plan
We’re transforming NBSG Foodbank into a compassionate Advice First model, guiding individuals toward lasting solutions, fostering community hubs that extend beyond emergency food, and changing perceptions to create empathy about poverty. Our commitment to efficiency, financial stability, and strategic planning ensures that every action brings us closer to a future without the need for food banks.
Our Goals
1. Advice First Model
Our first goal is to have an Advice First model so that food bank is a last resort.
We want the food bank to be a last resort for people, by prioritising advice and support-based approaches through collaboration with referral agencies and by using community signposting, ensuring individuals seek sustainable solutions beyond immediate food aid.
2. Prevent Over-reliance
Our second goal is to prevent over-reliance on food bank by providing pathways to long-term solutions.
We want to focus on minimising dependency on the food bank by establishing pathways to long-term solutions and affordable food. This involves incorporating signposting within food banks, guiding individuals toward resources that address underlying challenges. It also includes establishing move-on food provision to give people food support for a longer time while they find solutions to the challenges causing food insecurity.
3. Community Hubs
Our third goal is for food bank outlets to become ‘community hubs’.
We want to work towards food bank outlets becoming community hubs, a place not only where food is distributed, but where people can come to an inclusive space with activities and services to help foster well-being and a sense of local community.
4. Appropriate food
Our forth goal is to provide appropriate food & essential items to service users.
We want to ensure that we are consistently providing suitable food and essential items to meet the specific needs of service users, aligning assistance with their requirements and circumstances.
5. Change Minds and Policy
Our fifth goal is to change minds, change policy, and create empathy about poverty.
We want to join the Trussell Trust network in challenging government and societal views on poverty by actively working to change minds and instil empathy. This involves outreach, campaigns, and educational initiatives to foster a more compassionate understanding of the challenges faced by those in need.
6. Operate Effectively
Our sixth goal is to operate as efficiently and effectively as possible.
We want to operate as an organisation in the most efficient way possible in all areas of our work, to ensure our operations are sustainable and to maximise our impact in the community. This includes a focus on financial stability, minimising risks, streamlined processes, correct staffing infrastructure and succession planning.
About the Foodbank Network
Learn about Trussell’s network of food banks, tackling food poverty and supporting people out of crisis.
About our food bank
Learn about our food bank’s journey, partnerships, and initiatives to combat hunger across North Bristol and South Gloucestershire.
News
Stay abreast of local food bank opportunities, points of view, needs and initiatives