The Gateway to Community – Oasis food projects

Born out of a growing need for affordable food, our pantries, foodbanks, and community fridges have become a gateway to community for many, providing nourishment that goes far beyond food. 

Oasis Food projects emerged out of a need to provide access to food for the thousands of people in our communities who struggle to afford it. The COVID pandemic particularly highlighted this need. “During COVID we handed out about 5,000 food parcels” says Oasis Hobmoor Leader Andy Brown. After COVID the need increased even more. “We’ve had over 1,300 registrations for our food projects since COVID” says Claire Thomas, leader of Oasis Hull.  

“Everyone needs food as a basic necessity” says Claire Henwood, Community Worker at Oasis Bath. In that way, it is no surprise that there is such a great need for our food projects. However, “food is also the great unifier” she says. People are brought together by a shared need. This means that our food projects become the fertile soil within which community can grow and flourish, bringing people together. “At our food projects, people come for the food but stay for the community” says Andy. “We very much see the pantry as the kind of doorway into Oasis for a lot of people” adds Claire H. 

Dignity at the heart

So, what are our food projects like?  

Firstly, they are a place where everyone has dignity. “For us dignity is at the heart of every single thing we do. It’s our benchmark for how we judge whether or not we’re doing a good job” says Claire H. “How can you build community and how can people be the best versions of themselves when they are feeling insecure or self-conscious?”  

“At Hobmoor the strapline of our food pantry is ‘dignity, choice and hope’” says Andy. “This dignity is achieved through the way our volunteers, staff, and community members treat each other and through the way our food projects operate. For example, at our pantry community members will pay a little bit of money for their food. This gives them choice and the ability to contribute to the running of the pantry. Pantry members pay around £4 and come away with £20-25 of food that they have chosen”.  

“For us dignity is at the heart of every single thing we do. It’s our benchmark for how we judge whether or not we’re doing a good job.”

Claire Henwood – Community Worker, Oasis Bath

An economy of sharing

Another way that dignity is maintained is through reciprocal relationships. Our projects attempt to eliminate the power dynamic between those who can afford food and those who can’t. At Oasis we seek to do things with people rather than ‘to’ or ‘for’ them. This means that at the heart of our food projects is an emphasis on what we call a ‘sharing economy’ — a technical term referring to when everyone in a community contributes, provides for each other, and shares what they have.  

“It’s not just dishing out food” says Claire T. “We’ve all got things to give, and we’ve all got things that we need. We are all equal. So, the thing that I say about our space is that we don’t provide a service. We create space for community to thrive. Everybody who comes into that space makes a difference and makes it unique by coming and participating” says Claire T.  “For example, you might think that people who are homeless who come to our food projects simply receive a service, but they are able to give back in lots of ways. This might be by doing the dishes or sitting and having a chat with somebody. This is so meaningful both for them and the other people in the community that they’re helping.”  

“Reciprocal giving amongst community members leads not just to reducing need but also to human transformation, flourishing, and wholeness because it means everyone is making a contribution, and living up to their potential” says Claire W. 

Our communities are also a place where everyone is included. Often people who were separated from each other due to geographical, cultural, religious or ethnic reasons have been united by our food projects. “We’ve always been a project which is about bringing communities together and breaking down boundaries” says Claire T. “We have a mixed community including a range of ages and nationalities from Sudan to Eastern Europe. Everybody mixes together and it’s that sort of community feel that attracts people”. Whilst our food projects have emerged to meet the need for affordable food, at their heart they are about building stronger communities.  

A continuing problem

Last year we provided over half a million meals for people across the UK. Whilst this is an achievement we are proud of, the need for this amount of food should not exist. As we continue to try and eliminate this need, we are committed to building communities where everyone is included, afforded dignity, and empowered to contribute.