Towards the end of last year I looked at an Australian study looking at how to make food bank usage more socially acceptable.

The researchers spent several months at a number of food banks in and around Brisbane.  They say that many of the users of the facilities very much appreciated the service being offered, but felt stigmatized by having to go there.

“There was a tendency in some participants not to interact with others and leave the centre as soon as they collected their food because of the shame of being there,” the authors say.

“But we also found that clients who did have interactions with one another appreciated the social value of visiting the centre and gained useful knowledge and tips. For example, Communify Qld volunteers frequently spoke about and advertised different offers for things like free educational classes or reduced housing.

Removing the stigma

A nice project that’s attempting to remove some of this stigma is the Kansas City Community Kitchen.  They’re offering free food to the needy via a restaurant like environment.  So rather than wait in a queue for food, people are instead seated at a table and waited on, just as they would be in a restaurant.

The venture, which is run by local charity Episcopal Community Services, is staffed by volunteers who both cook and serve the meals, with the food provided by a local food bank.

The facility provides a hot meal over a three hour lunch period from Monday to Friday, with plans afoot to add a breakfast service later on this year.

It’s a lovely approach to making what is a very difficult situation slightly easier on those in need of it.