Pathways to end the need for food banks in NI- Information Exchange

Food banks are a vital emergency response — but they should never be a permanent feature of our social safety net. We believe in a future where no one needs to turn to charity to feed themselves or their family.

Food bank use in Northern Ireland is driven primarily by insufficient income, rising living costs, and gaps in welfare and crisis support. Without enough money for essentials, people can often struggle day to day, with little or no capacity to build resilience for themselves and their families.

Everyone in Northern Ireland deserves access to a warm, safe, sustainable home; nutritious food for themselves and their families; and enough money to afford the essentials. Yet right now, the system often intervenes too late, after people are already in crisis.

Pathways to End the Need for Foodbanks in Northern Ireland is a one-day hybrid conference at Skainos, East Belfast or Online.

The aim is to create a space for different organisations working with families experiencing hunger and hardship to combine their skills, experiences, and evidence of best practices and solutions for tackling poverty. This event might be of special interest to the emergency food community, the faith community, advice agencies, individuals/campaigners with lived experience, and other community support services.

The information gathered will help us develop a framework to end the need for food banks in NI, shifting the focus to solving structural problems and providing upstream support, including prevention, early intervention, and holistic advice when and where people need it most.

This event is facilitated by Trussell, and supported by: Northern Ireland Anti Poverty Network (NIAPN), Feeding Britain, Advice NI, Rural Communities Network, Ulster University, Food Ethics Council and East Belfast Mission. The evidence gathered will be used for the official launch of Pathways to end the need for food banks in NI at Stormont in September 2026.

Please join us online or in person.

Together, we can ensure our evidence-based solution for ending the need for food banks is ambitious, credible, and grounded in lived experience. Together, we can end hunger in Northern Ireland.

Info: There are four workshops happening throughout the conference, two happening simultaneously. At a later stage, you will be asked to register your preference for the morning and afternoon sessions

Info: There are four workshops happening throughout the conference, two happening simultaneously. At a later stage, you will be asked to register your preference for the morning and afternoon sessions

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