Together for Change

In this episode, Garry Lemon, Director of Strategic Engagement is joined by Ricky Wright, the CEO of Vineyard Compassion who leads Causeway Foodbank, Jamie Ginnis who is the Pathfinder Lead at Greenwich Foodbank and Matt Stallard, the Campaigns Lead at Manchester Central Foodbank. 

This episode dives deep into the importance of engaging with your local partners and the crucial role they play in helping to bring about our shared vision. The episode looks at how food banks have creatively engaged their partners, alongside some of the challenges they’ve faced and how they overcame these obstacles. We explore the key lessons of partnership building and inspiring action and offer practical guidance in how others can feel more confident in engaging with their local partners. 

In this episode, Garry Lemon, Director of Strategic Engagement is joined by Mark Richardson, Strategic Director at Exeter Foodbank, Bethany Biggar, Director of Edinburgh Food Project and Peter Newall, Pathfinder Lead & Operations Manager at Thurrock Foodbank.

This episode explores the importance of effectively engaging with your food bank teams and what it means to come together to travel on a new journey. This episode touches on how these food banks have developed their strategic plans, to bring about the shared vision of ending the need for food bank services, and how they communicated and shared this goal with their staff, volunteers and trustees. It also explores the guidance you can use to feel more confident in communicating these ideas and aims with your teams.

In this episode, Garry Lemon, Director of Strategic Engagement is joined by Stewart English, Community Outreach Coordinator in Levenmouth Foodbank, Ben Pennell, Participation Coordinator at Trussell and a volunteer at Warrington Foodbank and Emma Reekie, Youth Participation Manager, also at Trussell. 

This episode explores what we mean by the term ‘Participation’, what Participation can look like in a food bank setting and how those with lived experience can help in your vision of ending the need for food bank services. This episode also touches on the key tools, resources and guidance you can use to feel more confident in collaborating with those that have experienced financial hardship. 

In this episode, Garry Lemon, Director of Strategic Engagement, is joined by Alex Montegriffo, Campaigns and Community Organising Manager at Devizes and District Foodbank and Rachel Crighton, Campaigns Manager at Whitehawk Foodbank, to explore how Local Organisers across the network are working with and alongside their local communities to bring about change, as well as talk about support and guidance that’s available to food banks through the Organising Programme.

In this latest though-provoking conversation, we talk about the place Equity, Diversity and inclusion (EDI) has at the heart of our shared vision for an end to the need for food banks in the UK.

With a focus on how it translates into action amid a challenging cost-of-living crisis, we ask what does EDI truly mean, how can we leverage it to empower every individual and the important addition of the B - belonging.

Join host Garry Lemon as he chats to one of the leading EDI trainers and practitioners in the UK, Chikere Igbokwe, Tottenham Food Bank Manager, Pastor Tonye Philemon and the Trussell Trust’s new Director of People and Inclusion, Nahida Ahmed.

In this episode we are excited to chat about three projects that take very real and tangible steps towards our shared vision of a UK without food banks. 

Hosted by Garry Lemon, join Director of Policy, Research and Impact Helen Barnard, Lived Experience Connector Jill Marchbank and Project Manager of East Dunbartonshire food bank Kirsteen Huddy as they dissect, discuss and debate:

• Our new flagship research project, Hunger in the UK
• The UK roadmap to end the need for food banks
• Our Essentials Guarantee campaign

Stacking boxes, dating tins, making tea, welcoming people who need help, lending a listening, non-judgmental ear – volunteers have powered the Trussell Trust food bank network for over 25 years.

And while our army of 28,000 volunteers grows, more and more food banks are thinking about unlocking even more potential from the people that step up in their communities to help.

Join host Garry Lemon, as he chats to Morecambe Bay’s number-crunching PhD student, Dan Clarkson and East Lothian’s agricultural ally, Brian Ford about their resourceful approach to volunteering, “paying it forward” and what the future holds for food banks.

Welcome to the third episode of our new Together for Change podcast series - a space for discussion and real-life stories that engage, inspire, and influence.

Join host Garry Lemon, Julie Brownrigg - Chair of Trustees at Leeds North and West Food Bank, and Andy Strajnic - Lead trainer for Trust Advice, as they discuss the ‘three modes’ of governance, strategic planning and all the resources at your disposal as part of the Trussell Trust network. 

“Nobody’s walking into that food bank to take advantage, they’re going in there to meet a need that they can’t meet in their day-to-day life.  

 “It’s the most selfless thing they can do, walking into a food bank.” 

What is participation? What is financial inclusion? And how do you combine the two? In this episode, we discuss the creation of an exciting new resource designed by members of our Together for Change panel to help you deliver financial inclusion services more effectively. 

“There’s a hunger for real community and I think that feeling you get when you walk into a food bank - even though everyone’s knackered and working so hard - that wave of compassion and love that washes over you; people are craving the transformational power that can come from that type of community.”  

Welcome to Episode 1 of the Together for Change podcast. In this special first episode, we are discussing the current challenges facing food banks and the actions the Trussell Trust is taking to address them. We will also be talking about the state of food stocks and the political situation that underpins all of this.

Join Director of Strategic Engagement, Garry Lemon and guests Trussell Trust Chief Executive, Emma Revie and Director of Network Operations, Lynda Battarbee as we delve deeper into the challenges facing you in the network, as well as finding glimmers of hope.