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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dc.contributor.author Booth, Sue
dc.contributor.author Begley, Andrea
dc.contributor.author Mackintosh, Bruce
dc.contributor.author Kerr, Deborah A
dc.contributor.author Jancey, Jonine
dc.contributor.author Caraher, Martin
dc.contributor.author Whelan, Jillian
dc.contributor.author Pollard, Christina M
dc.date.accessioned 2018-10-05T04:31:58Z
dc.date.available 2018-10-05T04:31:58Z
dc.date.issued 2018-06-27
dc.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. en_US
dc.description.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. en_US
dc.description.sponsorship This work was supported by Healthway, the Western Australian Health Promotion Foundation, who funded Curtin University to undertake this Special Research Initiative entitled ‘Charitable Food Services and the Needs of Homeless and Disadvantaged People’ (grant number 24266). en_US
dc.identifier.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. en_US
dc.identifier.doi https://doi.org/10.1017/S1368980018001428 en_US
dc.identifier.issn 1475-2727
dc.identifier.uri http://hdl.handle.net/2328/38379
dc.language.iso en en_US
dc.oaire.license.condition.license CC-BY
dc.publisher Cambridge University Press en_US
dc.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. en_US
dc.rights.holder © The Authors 2018. en_US
dc.subject charitable food system en_US
dc.subject charitable food services en_US
dc.subject food charity en_US
dc.subject recipient perspective en_US
dc.subject food insecurity en_US
dc.subject nutrition en_US
dc.subject voluntary failure en_US
dc.title Gratitude, resignation and the desire for dignity: lived experience of food charity recipients and their recommendations for improvement, Perth, Western Australia en_US
dc.type Article en
local.contributor.authorOrcidLookup Pollard, Christina M: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4261-4601
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