Edinburgh Food Project and updates to our Referrals

Sam Jolley, Referral Pathways Coordinator, provides more information on Edinburgh Food Project and how you can become a referral partner in order to refer clients for a food voucher.

'The role of foodbanks has evolved in recent years to adapt to the huge growth in need faced over the 2020s. While we see twice as many people at the foodbanks compared to pre-2020, we know that the average foodbank attendee working with a money advisor is eligible for over £3500 in financial gains. As such, we have shifted our focus from solely providing emergency food boxes for immediate relief to embedding meaningful support within the pathways to the foodbank. We want the foodbanks to be a last resort where everyone has all they’re entitled to first and foodbanks aren’t normalised as a feature of the welfare system.

While a food parcel offers a short-term solution to hunger, food alone doesn’t address the root causes of poverty. That’s why, over the last year, we’ve been reviewing who should issue vouchers and what additional support should accompany them. Our foodbanks operate on a referral basis, where professionals in support services direct people to us. This ensures that those already receiving help—who are more likely to need emergency food—can access it, while those not yet receiving support are offered it alongside their foodbank referral. Since last year, we’ve reduced the number of organisations registered to make referrals, so only those able to provide additional support are issuing vouchers. At the same time, we’ve expanded our Money Advice Service and created new signposting resources to help everyone find the most appropriate route to the foodbank based on their needs.

If you’re working with someone in need of food vouchers, it’s always worth considering which support service is most relevant to their situation. If you’re already providing ongoing support, you might consider signing up to make referrals yourself. This involves attending a short, 30-minute webinar covering the basics of how the foodbank system works. If you’d prefer to signpost people without needing an account, we highly recommend our signposting resources and the Money Advice Service—both of which can support individuals and provide vouchers. These are available on our website: https://edinburghfoodproject.org/referral-partner-information/

For any questions or requests, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with me directly at samjolley@edinburghfoodproject.org.'