Gratitude, resignation and the desire for dignity: lived experience of food charity recipients and their recommendations for improvement, Perth, Western Australia
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Date
2018-06-27
Authors
Booth, Sue
Begley, Andrea
Mackintosh, Bruce
Kerr, Deborah A
Jancey, Jonine
Caraher, Martin
Whelan, Jillian
Pollard, Christina M
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Cambridge University Press
Rights
© The Authors 2018. This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/),
which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Rights Holder
© The Authors 2018.
Abstract
Objective: The present study explored recipients’ perceptions of food charity and
their suggested improvements in inner-city Perth, Western Australia.
Design: In-depth interviews were conducted with charitable food service (CFS)
recipients. Transcripts were thematically analysed using a phenomenological
approach.
Setting: Interviews were conducted at two CFS in inner-city Perth.
Subjects: Fourteen adults.
Results: The recipients’ journeys to a reliance on CFS were varied and
multifactorial, with poverty, medical issues and homelessness common. The
length of time recipients had relied on food charity ranged from 8 months to over
40 years. Most were ‘grateful yet resigned’, appreciative of any food and resigned
to the poor quality, monotony and their unmet individual preferences. They
wanted healthier food, more variety and better quality. Accessing services was
described as a ‘full-time job’ fraught with unreliable information and transport
difficulties. They called for improved information and assistance with transport.
‘Eroded dignity’ resulted from being fed without any choice and queuing for food
in public places, often in a volatile environment. ‘Food memories and inclusion’
reflected a desire for commensality. Recipients suggested services offer choice and
promote independence, focusing on their needs both physical and social.
Conclusions: Although grateful, long-term CFS recipients described what
constitutes a voluntary failure. Their service improvement recommendations can
help meet their nutritional and social needs. A successful CFS provides a food
service that prioritises nutritious, good-quality food and individual need, while
promoting dignity and social inclusion, challenging in the current Australian
context.
Description
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/),
which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Keywords
charitable food system, charitable food services, food charity, recipient perspective, food insecurity, nutrition, voluntary failure
Citation
Booth, S., Begley, A., Mackintosh, B. et al., (2018). Gratitude, resignation and the desire for dignity: lived experience of food charity recipients and their recommendations for improvement, Perth, Western Australia. Public Health Nutrition, 21(15): 2831-2841.