Mapping the lived experience of food bank clients and volunteers

Summary

We worked with three food banks in the London borough of Lambeth to capture the lived experience of food bank clients and volunteers. There were two parts to the project. First, through individual interviews and participatory mapping techniques we uncovered the formal and informal services and support clients and volunteers use and offer. Second, the information collected in these interviews was digitized and from this we have produced a number of maps using Geographical Information Systems (GIS) software. Analysis of the digital maps focuses on identifying spatial patterns – similarities and variations between aspects of geographical locations and social capital as represented by formal and informal resources and networks visited and used by foodbank clients and volunteers. In this way the maps help illustrate where support is found in the local area, and perhaps more importantly, where potential gaps exist.