6 Cafe society: transforming community through quiet activism and reciprocity
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Jane Midgley
Abstract
This chapter is about food sharing in a community cafe in North East England. The chapter draws from an original co-production research project between Newcastle University and a local social enterprise REFUSE Community Interest Company (CIC). REFUSE collects ‘safe for consumption’ surplus food from local food retailers and manufacturers, and by intercepting food in this way, prevents it from going to waste. The food is then transformed into meals and snacks that are available in its ‘pay as you feel’ (PAYF) cafe in the town of Chester-le-Street. This environmentally motivated activism also aims to bring beneficial impacts to the local community, such as greater access to food and reducing social isolation. REFUSE is a member of The Real Junk Food Project, a collective network and effort involving 120 projects in seven countries that intercept, distribute and share food within their communities (TRJFP, 2019). In this chapter, the social and community impacts of the cafe are documented, which are specifically explored through the ideas of reciprocity and ‘quiet’ activism in social renewal actions that aim to improve social justice outcomes.
This research and the cafe project is, in part, located amid the growth in UK food industry donations of ‘safe for human consumption’ surplus foods to charitable and social redistributors, as well as commercial food redistribution organisations (such as social supermarkets) that work to make this surplus food available to individuals and communities either free or at reduced cost.
Abstract
This chapter is about food sharing in a community cafe in North East England. The chapter draws from an original co-production research project between Newcastle University and a local social enterprise REFUSE Community Interest Company (CIC). REFUSE collects ‘safe for consumption’ surplus food from local food retailers and manufacturers, and by intercepting food in this way, prevents it from going to waste. The food is then transformed into meals and snacks that are available in its ‘pay as you feel’ (PAYF) cafe in the town of Chester-le-Street. This environmentally motivated activism also aims to bring beneficial impacts to the local community, such as greater access to food and reducing social isolation. REFUSE is a member of The Real Junk Food Project, a collective network and effort involving 120 projects in seven countries that intercept, distribute and share food within their communities (TRJFP, 2019). In this chapter, the social and community impacts of the cafe are documented, which are specifically explored through the ideas of reciprocity and ‘quiet’ activism in social renewal actions that aim to improve social justice outcomes.
This research and the cafe project is, in part, located amid the growth in UK food industry donations of ‘safe for human consumption’ surplus foods to charitable and social redistributors, as well as commercial food redistribution organisations (such as social supermarkets) that work to make this surplus food available to individuals and communities either free or at reduced cost.
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Contents iii
- List of tables, figures and boxes v
- Notes on contributors vi
- Acknowledgements xii
- Foreword xv
- Islands of hope in a sea of despair: civil society in an age of austerity 1
- The North East of England: place, economy and people 19
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The public sector and civil society
- The public sector and civil society: introduction 37
- Innovation outside the state: the Glendale Gateway Trust 43
- The Byker Community Trust and the ‘Byker Approach’ 57
- Cafe society: transforming community through quiet activism and reciprocity 73
- ‘Computer Says No’: exploring social justice in digital services 89
- Drive to thrive: a place-based approach to tackling poverty in Gateshead 105
- City of Dreams: enabling children and young people’s cultural participation and civic voice in Newcastle and Gateshead 121
- Are we ‘all in this together’? Reflecting on the continuities between austerity and the COVID-19 crisis 137
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The civic university
- The civic university: introduction 147
- Reinventing a civic role for the 21st century: the cathedral and the university 153
- Realising the potential of universities for inclusive, innovation-led development: the case of the Newcastle City Futures Urban Living Partnership pilot 169
- Future Homes: developing new responses through new organisations 187
- The good, the bad and the disconcerting: a week in the life of university project-based learning for schools 203
- The containment of democratic innovation: reflections from two university collaborations 221
- Citizen power, the university and the North East 235
- So what is a university in any case? A grass-roots perspective on the university and urban social justice 251
- Conclusion: hope in an age of austerity and a time of anxiety 257
- Index 275
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Contents iii
- List of tables, figures and boxes v
- Notes on contributors vi
- Acknowledgements xii
- Foreword xv
- Islands of hope in a sea of despair: civil society in an age of austerity 1
- The North East of England: place, economy and people 19
-
The public sector and civil society
- The public sector and civil society: introduction 37
- Innovation outside the state: the Glendale Gateway Trust 43
- The Byker Community Trust and the ‘Byker Approach’ 57
- Cafe society: transforming community through quiet activism and reciprocity 73
- ‘Computer Says No’: exploring social justice in digital services 89
- Drive to thrive: a place-based approach to tackling poverty in Gateshead 105
- City of Dreams: enabling children and young people’s cultural participation and civic voice in Newcastle and Gateshead 121
- Are we ‘all in this together’? Reflecting on the continuities between austerity and the COVID-19 crisis 137
-
The civic university
- The civic university: introduction 147
- Reinventing a civic role for the 21st century: the cathedral and the university 153
- Realising the potential of universities for inclusive, innovation-led development: the case of the Newcastle City Futures Urban Living Partnership pilot 169
- Future Homes: developing new responses through new organisations 187
- The good, the bad and the disconcerting: a week in the life of university project-based learning for schools 203
- The containment of democratic innovation: reflections from two university collaborations 221
- Citizen power, the university and the North East 235
- So what is a university in any case? A grass-roots perspective on the university and urban social justice 251
- Conclusion: hope in an age of austerity and a time of anxiety 257
- Index 275
