Creating Pathways to Wider Help: Aberdeen North Food Bank's Experience as a Cash First Trusted Partner

From our perspective at Aberdeen North Food Bank, run by The King’s Community Foundation, Cash First has been about building better connections, both with referrals and with other trusted partners, to ensure people can access the right help at the right time.

Referral Pathways and Access to Support

A lot of what we do at Aberdeen North Food Bank is having conversations that go beyond food, while recognising that the main reason people come to us is for a food parcel. Those conversations help us understand what other issues might be going on in someone’s life.

Since last May, we’ve been moving towards a referral model working in partnership with Aberdeen Citizens Advice Bureau.

This hasn’t been about restricting access to food, but encouraging people to engage with wider support and opening doors to additional help.

This has led to more engagement with Citizens Advice in our centres. We see Cash First as an extension of what they already offer - when someone is speaking about benefits, housing or employment, it makes sense to also include Cash First in that conversation.

Collaborative Decision-Making

Our panel meetings have been very valuable and it was really interesting to be part of that process as a Cash First trusted partner.

It never felt like there was conflict around how to help someone. Instead, it showed how different charities can come together with a shared purpose, with all partners having the person’s best interests at heart.

Everyone brought ideas about what they could offer, creating a clear illustration of different support available across the city.

No one was just showing up to do a job - there was a real sense that all trusted partners understood what we were doing to help people. Being involved in decisions around funding also gave a sense of ownership and helped ensure a consistent approach.

Strengthening Partnerships

The partnership side has been one of the biggest benefits of our involvement in the Cash First process. It has helped us build bridges with other charities and recognise that we’re all working towards the same goal.

Having the chance to sit around a table and hear from others has been really valuable, especially as a growing organisation. It has helped us understand how other services operate and where we can work more closely together.

It’s also been good to see organisations of different sizes working collaboratively. Cash First has created space for a more inclusive approach where everyone’s contributions are valued.

Looking Ahead

I’m really hopeful about Cash First. There’s a growing recognition that food banks aren’t the only solution and that projects like this can be a way forward.

For some people, a food parcel can be enough. But for others, the challenges are much deeper and more complex. Through Cash First, we’ve seen how direct, financial support can help relieve pressure and give people a clean slate which has been really encouraging.

It shows that money spent in the right place can have an incredible impact. The challenge now is how that can be sustained and expanded so more people can benefit.