Outcome
Community Seedbank will transform food banks into spaces of pride and connection, empowering participants to become valued contributors.
By reducing stigma and fostering a strong local network, the initiative will support skill-building, create revenue opportunities, and strengthen community ties.
We hope it will pave the way for a resilient and self-sustaining community model that connects with and inspires neighbouring areas.
Solution
Community Seedbanks is a community-driven service that creates a welcoming space where food bank users engage through storytelling, creativity, and shared meals.
Through workshops, participants contribute recipes to a community cookbook and street food gatherings, building skills, employment opportunities, and revenue streams that strengthen community bonds.
This approach reduces stigma and fosters pride, belonging, and resilience within Ladbroke Grove.
Context
Across the UK, rising food insecurity has led to increased reliance on food banks, often accompanied by social stigma and isolation.
In Ladbroke Grove, including the community impacted by the Grenfell Fire, food bank use is essential but carries heavy stigma.
This stigma fuels guilt and shame, reinforcing social isolation and diminishing well-being, highlighting an urgent need for initiatives that foster pride, social connection, and resilience within affected communities.
What we uncovered in the research
1. Creativity as a Bridge: Using creative expression at food banks opens pathways for connection and reduces stigma.
2. Beyond Basic Needs: Food banks serve essential needs but also have the potential to address social isolation and stigma.
3. Sustaining Community Support: Long-term resilience in food banks requires models that support both physical needs and social bonds.
4. Preserving Local Knowledge: Community leaders’ insights and lived experience are crucial for sustaining impact but often go undocumented.
5. Turning Waiting Time into Connection: Small interventions during food distribution times can create opportunities for engagement and reduce feelings of isolation.
Our process
1. Research and Immersion: Volunteered and conducted interviews to understand food bank stigma and identify opportunities for creative intervention.
↓
2. Co-Design Workshops: Facilitated storytelling and recipe-sharing workshops, inviting participants to share food memories and personal stories.
↓
3. Prototype Testing: Tested engagement through recipe cards, community cookbooks, and planned street food events, incorporating feedback to refine the experience.
↓
4. Strategic Planning: Developed a business plan aligned with aspirations to secure funding, ensure operational sustainability, and enable future expansion to similar communities.
Tools
Ethnographic Research
Stakeholder Mapping
Service Blueprinting
Empathy Mapping
Prototyping and Testing
Community Co-Design
Systems Analysis
Strategic Planning
Our Strategy
Vision: Transform the narrative around food banks from dependency to empowerment, and isolation to connection, making Ladbroke Grove a model for community-led social sustainability.
Approach:
Engage: Build trust and connection through storytelling and creativity in food.
Collect: Document local recipes and personal stories, preserving them in a community cookbook.
Empower: Provide opportunities for participants to gain skills in storytelling and cooking, turning them into community ambassadors.
Connect: Foster social bonds and a sense of belonging through weekly events, creating a supportive network within the community.
Measurement: Track impact through metrics in community engagement, reductions in self-reported stigma, event participation rates, and cookbook sales.
Prototypes
Recipe Card Workshop: Invited food bank users to share their favourite recipes, building pride and fostering connection.
Feedback: The workshop successfully engaged participants in storytelling but highlighted a need for additional support for those less comfortable with drawing.
Community Cookbook: Co-created with participants, capturing local stories and generating sustainable revenue; received enthusiastically by the community.
Feedback: The prototype was well-received for its inclusive approach, though there was feedback suggesting more structured prompts to help participants share their experiences.
Street Food Stand: A gathering point that increased community interaction and visibility, encouraging mutual support and pride.
Feedback: The concept generated enthusiasm, with participants eager to engage, but underscored the need for logistical planning to ensure accessibility and consistent attendance.
Team
Project Tags
+ Social Impact
+ Community Development
+ Food Security and Nutrition
+ Mental Health and Wellbeing
Services
+ Service Design
+ Community Engagement
+ Strategic Research
+ Prototyping and Testing
+ Co-Design Facilitation
+ Social Impact Strategy
Partners
The Guild of St. George,
Community Centres in Ladbroke Grove
Year
2023-24
Summary
Community Seedbank is a project that reimagines food banks in Ladbroke Grove as spaces of community and creativity.
At the request of the Guild of St George to reinterpret Ruskin’s beliefs, we developed a model that shifts perceptions of food bank users from recipients to contributors.
By harnessing the power of creativity and non-stigmatised food-sharing practices, Community Seedbank aims to foster pride, break stigma, and build social connections within a community deeply affected by the Grenfell Fire.
Who the project is for
Local residents of Ladbroke Grove, food bank users, community centre attendees, community organisers, and individuals aiming to foster connection and resilience.
My Role
Service Designer, Strategist, Design Researcher.
Leading role in community engagement and research, facilitating co-design workshops, and developing concept. Led business plan design, and established strategy for future implementation and scaling.