Navigating Stigma, Support and Resource Challenges: A Qualitative Study of Food Relief Volunteers' Perspectives.

Approximately one‐third of Australian households experienced food insecurity between 2022 and 2024, highlighting a prevalent public health issue. Food relief organisations play a pivotal role in addressing the food insecurity crisis, with volunteers fulfilling the majority of necessary staffing reso...

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Publicado en:Health & Social Care in the Community Vol. 2026; pp. 1 - 10
Autores principales: Marshall, Ned, Mullan, Barbara A., Maxwell-Smith, Chloe, Bhardwaj, Parth
Formato: research tables/charts Journal Article
Publicado: Wiley-Blackwell 7/24/2026
Acceso en línea:Ver este registro en EBSCOhost
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        atl: Navigating Stigma, Support and Resource Challenges: A Qualitative Study of Food Relief Volunteers' Perspectives.
      aug:
        au:
          Marshall, Ned
          Mullan, Barbara A.
          Maxwell-Smith, Chloe
          Bhardwaj, Parth
        affil: Behavioural Science & Health Research Group, , School of Population Health, , Curtin University, , Perth, Australia, curtin.edu.au
      sug:
        subj:
          Volunteer Workers Psychosocial Factors
          Stigma
          Support, Psychosocial
          Resource Allocation
          Food Assistance
          Food Quality
          Food Security
          Funding Source
          Australia
          Human
          Male
          Female
          Adult
          Middle Age
          Qualitative Studies
          Semi-Structured Interview
          Snowball Sample
          Thematic Analysis
          Descriptive Statistics
          Interview Guides
          Data Analysis Software
          Empathy
          Human Dignity
          Mental Health
          Community Resources
          Adult: 19-44 years
          Middle Aged: 45-64 years
          Male
          Female
      ab: Approximately one‐third of Australian households experienced food insecurity between 2022 and 2024, highlighting a prevalent public health issue. Food relief organisations play a pivotal role in addressing the food insecurity crisis, with volunteers fulfilling the majority of necessary staffing resources. Volunteers are uniquely positioned in the food system as the intermediaries between food resources and food relief users. This qualitative study explores the experiences and perspectives of Australian food relief volunteers, using semistructured interviews (N = 13). Four themes were constructed using reflexive thematic analysis that explores insights into stigma, empathy and the dynamics of food rescue and distribution. These include (1) Humanity in Volunteering, (2) Notions of Deservingness, (3) Changes in Demand and (4) Changing Supply Landscape. Findings spotlight that the role volunteers appear to play in mitigating stigma, which persists as a social determinant of health and a barrier to accessing food relief for people in need. Our analysis also draws attention to the quantity, quality and safety of donated food in the food relief sector. Implications for food insecurity, food relief organisations, governments and future research directions are discussed.
      pubtype: Academic Journal
      doctype:
        research
        tables/charts
        Journal Article
      ougenre: Article
    language: English
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