Food Justice
By Hannah Shepherd
Beyond its basic value of providing nutrition and energy, food is increasingly recognised as an important tool for connecting people from all walks of life. Volunteer Hannah Shepherd hears from some of the organisations around Bristol harnessing the power of food to bring communities together.
For migrants, or people seeking asylum in Bristol, food can offer a way to explore a new community, a physical conduit for memories of home, and crucially a means for connecting with people, jobs and opportunities.
A charity working hard to provide support and supplies to forcibly displaced people across Bristol is Aid Box Community (ABC). As part of this they work closely with The Community Farm, Bridge Farm and Coexist Community Kitchen to offer farm trips, gardening and cooking groups. All of these activities are centred around growing, cooking and sharing food and yet the food becomes almost incidental.
“[They] introduced me to new things like how seeds grow into plants and… explained different types of plants and its advantages and effects, pigs feeding routines to chicken feeding. I do very much enjoy gardening and being with the garden group taught me a lot. This group has also helped me with my mental health… I feel relief and I find myself wanting to learn more – ABC gardening group attendee.
The opportunities to socialise around a shared meal or veg patch are often more important than the food itself. For organisations such as Project MAMA, which supports migrated people in Bristol from pregnancy to motherhood, the meals shared at their weekly MAMAhub meetings help create an atmosphere in which mothers & expectant mothers can connect across language barriers.
”I really enjoy the fact that there is a fresh meal, the fact that [we] can meet different mothers from different migrant backgrounds. I like that my daughter can play with other kids as well.” – Project MAMA mum.
The MAMAhub is a vital space for mothers from migrant backgrounds to access advice but also a way for the group to celebrate key milestones, “such as Eid, Christmas or a babe’s first birthday and their mama’s first year”, Clare, the CEO at Project MAMA tells me. Celebration is central to the monthly Peace Feasts organised by Bridges for Communities, whose joyful community meals also host live music and insightful stories from a guest speaker. The Peace Feasts not only facilitate a space for cross-cultural understanding, but provide a space for friendships to deepen.
“It was a very enjoyable evening, good food, good company and a great learning experience. Trying a different cuisine, learning about different countries, cultures and languages in a friendly, relaxed setting is a great experience. For me, meeting new people and hearing their stories is the icing on the cake.” – Peace Feast participant.
Much like Peace Feast, one organisation that has been using the medium of cooking to reduce prejudice between migrant and host communities is Migrateful. Their cooking classes, hosted by talented chefs who have migrated to Bristol, encourage participants and chefs to bond over a common goal; cooking a meal. The experience has additional benefits for the chefs who are looking for ways to integrate with their local communities.
“The social experience of teaching the cookery classes was a really great way to address my loneliness. The classes allowed me to meet British people which I really valued because I am going to live in this country for the rest of my life.
“Migrateful has been like a family to me. It filled me with love. It was a place where I could belong and people made me feel valued and trusted. I had to leave behind my family so it was so important for me to find a new one.” Habib from Afghanistan, former Migrateful chef and current trustee.
This is only a handful of the great organisations working around Bristol to connect diverse and sometimes disparate communities.
From training and cooking classes to a celebration of culture, food provides the draw but ultimately, it can be the human interactions that are most nourishing.
For more information, see below:
So, what change do you want to see happen that will transform food in Bristol by 2030? Do you already have an idea for how Bristol can make this happen? Join the conversation now.
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