We wanted to share an informed and informative piece of research from Katie Brash as part of her BA Community Education Practice.
Katie is a dynamic, committed and compassionate member of the Community Renewal Lifting Neighbourhoods Together team who completed her studies whilst also working alongside the community of Bingham Magdalene and the Hays
About
This practical study evaluated Edinburgh’s community-led Hays Pantry, which addressed food need with dignity. The pantry, part of the Community Renewal Lifting Neighbourhoods Together project, followed the Scottish Government’s Cash-First Approach and Community Learning and Development (CLD) principles in one of Scotland’s poorest regions. The study examined the pantry’s impact on members, volunteers, and the community using semi-structured interviews, participant observation, and narrative analysis. The pantry promoted resilience, social integration, and personal autonomy, but structural inequity, operational limits, and the need for more volunteers were still issues.
Research supported dignity-centred solutions that went beyond emergency food relief to address food insecurity’s fundamental causes. Empowerment, social justice, and participatory development informed talks on sustainable, community-driven food support
Evaluating Dignity and Empowerment in Community Food Support: A Practical Enquiry into Hays Pantry, Edinburgh
