Project Overview
Action Hunger is committed to alleviating poverty and hardship amongst the homeless. Vending machines were installed to provide free food and clothing in key locations of cities across the United Kingdom — and beyond.
The machines dispense water, fresh fruit, energy bars, crisps, chocolate, and sandwiches, as well as socks, sanitary towels, antibacterial lotion, toothbrush and toothpaste combination packs, and books. As a considerable amount of the produce is received from food redistribution organisations, the aim is to simultaneously address two major social and environmental issues — homelessness and food waste.
Use of the machines is exclusively permitted to those in need, and items can only be vended with the use of a special key card, which our partner organisations in each locality are responsible for disseminating. In order to continue using the key cards, our users must check-in weekly at our partner organisations, as continued engagement with professionals and local support services is instrumental to breaking the cycle of homelessness.
At the most elementary level, Action Hunger's machines provide access for the most vulnerable in our society to satiate the most basic of needs — that of sustenance.
Organisation
Project Context
Homelessness is a desolating issue that pervades every city in every country. There are many charities and shelters that work tirelessly towards helping those whose daily lives are most mired in hardship — though many have limited operating hours, which often results in services being unavailable during the evening and night, and they can also be very expensive to run, with costs running into the hundreds of thousands of pounds.
The immediate benefit of vending machines is that they satiate hunger and provide nourishment to the most vulnerable members of society. They permit access to food and clothing free of charge at any hour — without requiring anyone to be left without aid outside the operating hours of the various charities and shelters that are available. The machines are also very inexpensive and economical to run, as there are no attendant costs of running a physical premises, and the automated nature of the machines supplant the need for many staff — a bank of volunteers manage the day-to-day operation. Furthermore, at a time when government cuts in funding for local councils has decimated lots of the resources available, and had debilitating effects on those services that do remain, our machines serve as a novel solution.
Project Innovation
An important distinction is that Action Hunger is not seeking to supplant the incredible efforts of existing charities for the homeless that exist. While other organisations can offer empathy and human contact and counselling, all of which are key to breaking the cycle of homelessness, Action Hunger solely provide unmanned vending machines. Their aim is to work alongside them, as a means for the homeless to access food and clothing 24/7 and, in doing so, ensure that help is always available.
Social and Community-Oriented Design - Experience
Social design applies a design methodology and intervention to tighten the social fabric that holds us together. Addressing issues of social inequality, such as poverty or social isolation, social design is the pathway to a more just and sustainable society. Community-oriented design is a human-centered and participatory design practice that emphasises the betterment of local communities through the improvement of public facilities, equipment, identity and experience.
The experience design category celebrates designed journeys, services, events and processes where the focus is placed on the experiences of the user. Consideration is given according to the design context and need, design innovation and the application of human centred design principles.
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